Learning to Live
by Raissi
Summary: Kaesta runs into Rick's group at Hershel's farm at a time when tensions are high. Can she be trusted, or is she from another group of survivors out to take the farm? Can she learn to trust them and rediscover that living is about more than just surviving?
1. Running The Others

**Note: My first attempt at writing fan fic, or well, anything for that matter. So, go easy on me ;) We'll be seeing Daryl in chapter 2, I promise. He's my favorite character from the TV series, and what made me want to write some Daryl/OC fiction. I need something to keep me busy until October. And of course, I do not own TWD or any of it's characters.**

**Intro: Running**

She had been running full out for over an hour. Doubled over, lungs burning, her muscles were screaming for oxygen, cramping from dehydration and threatening to give out from exhaustion. Her heart was beating so hard it was almost ready to burst from her chest. Within a minute her breathing had slowed, although still coming in deep gulps, and she was able to lift herself back upright and take in her surroundings. Behind her she could see nothing or no one on the trail. Ahead of her just the packed dirt stretching out of what was once probably a well used hikers path. On either side the woods enveloped her.

Already feeling at the end of her rope, she knew she had to push on. She couldn't stop here. She hadn't covered enough distance. Not nearly enough. If she kept going this trail would lead her straight out to the country roads near the highway. That was the last place she wanted to be; too vulnerable, too exposed. No, her best chance was to stick to the woods and take her chances with whatever might be lurking there. Off the trail to her left the woods rose steadily. If she could make it to the top she would have a good view of the land. She could plan her next move. But sun down was coming and if she was going to make it before then she'd need to get moving.

Once off the trail her pace slowed considerably. Bush whacking was a much slower and tiring process. At least here outside of Atlanta the woods had a different character than back home. They were drier, less dense, and less imposing than what she was used to. She climbed over rotting logs and crawled under fallen trees as she made her way up the incline. Each step she took drained her further. "Come on," she pleaded with her failing body. "You can do this. One foot in front of the other." She was mumbling to herself with nearly every step as she weakened rapidly. Her body needed rest, but more than that it needed water. Ahead the woods just rose steadily upwards. It was impossible to tell looking up how much farther she had to go before reaching the top of the ridge. "Come on," she begged once more, but no matter how she willed her body to move, her legs wouldn't budge. "Ok. You win," she whispered, "we'll stop here and rest a while."

She sat, her back against a pine, looking down the way she'd come. The woods were still. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Beneath her the cool moss made a cushion for her sore body. She stretched her aching knees out in front of her and wondered if she would ever be able to convince her body to get up and move again. It felt good to be off her feet but she remained tense, alert. Soon, however, exhaustion over took her and she nodded off.

When she woke she was startled to find the light faded. She had at best half an hour before it would be too dark to continue. If she didn't find water and shelter she knew she was unlikely to survive much longer. Continuing up the hillside was no longer an option. She pushed herself as fast as she was able parallel along the slope hoping to run across a creek or stream. It paid off. The icy water stung her hands as she scooped it greedily to her mouth. She drank and drank and drank and the nearly debilitating cramping in her muscles subsided. She gave a quick thank you to the universe, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the scent of the wet forest. How at peace she used to feel in the forest back home. It had always been her sanctuary.

A hand clamped down on her right shoulder ripping her out of the trance she'd been in. It's bony fingers felt more like a claw and she knew even before she turned to face it that the creature it belonged to was no longer human. In one fluid motion she tore away from the thing and quickly gathered a thick branch from the ground. She spun slamming the branch as hard as she could against the side of the creature's head. It just groaned and continued to grasp for her warm flesh. Looking upon it she was hit with a wave of nausea. Even after the months that had passed every single one she saw horrified her just the same. Nothing should be permitted to still roam the earth after it is dead and decaying, but here in front of here was yet another such monstrosity. Again she slammed the branch into the side of it's head. Allowing herself to vent the fear and anger that had been following her all day she hit it again and again until finally it's skull split open and it fell to the ground, limp and lifeless as it should have been.

Just as the walking corpse's body fell to the forest floor, the girl too collapsed. Physically and mentally exhausted, darkness imminent, this is where she'd have to stay. She crawled to the body and quickly examined it. There was a distinct bite mark out of the meaty part where the back of his neck met his shoulder. Poor bastard had been snuck up on from behind, very much as she nearly had been. Maybe he too had been working his way here along the creek where the rushing water drowned the sound of the creatures footsteps. He was dressed in hunter's camouflage. Perhaps he had been out searching for food to take back home to his family, or perhaps he decided to take his chances in the wilderness away from the larger throngs of civilization turned cannibal corpses.

She pushed the thoughts of who this man might have been before the end of the world from her mind and set to searching the corpse for anything that might be useful. A hunting knife. It was better than nothing. She tucked it away and then got to work. She quickly found a cubby under some deadfall she could fit into. She dragged the corpse behind her leaving it in the entrance hoping it would mask her scent and deter anyone or anything from investigating further. No sooner had she set up her shelter then darkness fell. She curled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. It was cold during the nights here, but she dare not make a fire, in the darkness it would be much too obvious. She slipped surprisingly quickly into sleep.

**Chapter 1: The Others**

From a rocky outcropping at the top of the ridge she could see for miles. Below her the forest stretched out down the other side of the hill. At the bottom lay a swamp. Beyond the swamp sat a farm. It appeared to be inhabited. She could see several vehicles, including an RV. She needed to get closer where she could get a better look.

Getting down the hillside was quick enough. Maneuvering through the swamp, however, took the better part of the day. As difficult as it was for her, she soon realized it held its advantages. It was even more difficult for the dead who didn't plan their steps. Far to her right she could see a corpse stuck in the mud, standing helpless unable to move. She left it, unwilling to risk the treacherous mud herself over something clearly unable to pursue her and do her harm.

It was late in the day as she neared the edge of the farm. The sun had already started to go down. Just beyond the edge of the trees she could see the outline of a tent. She crept closer, every sense on full alert. There was a line strung outside the tent. From it she could see squirrels hanging, and what looked like it could only be a string of ears. Surely her eyes were mistaken. She hadn't eaten in days and had been pushing her body further than it ought to be capable. No doubt she could be seeing things that weren't actually there.

She wondered who these people might be. Had they known each other in another life before everything went to shit, or had the end of days drawn them together, strangers bonding over shared strife. Suddenly she froze. Someone else was approaching the tent from the direction of the farm house. A woman: middle-aged, with a small frame and short peppered hair. Her approach was a gift from the universe as the girl had not seen the man by the tent and would have stumbled right into him had she kept going. Inside her head she muttered a hasty thank you. Hunkered down, she lay still so she could listen. Unfortunately from where she was she was not able to make out all of what was being said, but she was able to pick up bits and pieces.

"...Just go! I don't want you here!" He lashed out verbally at the woman. She couldn't catch enough of what was being said to determine what had happened. The woman said little, or what she said was in audible as they were both now obscured from the girls view.

"... a real piece of work, lady" There was an explosive anger in his words. She heard something else in his voice though, aside from anger, or at least that was the impression she got

"You ain't my problem. Sophia wasn't mine!" The voice shouted, "... keep an eye on her!" Had someone been injured then, or worse? Hurt, could that be what she heard behind the anger? It didn't matter. This man was volatile, she was certain of that, one she needed to stay clear of.

The air was tense and thick. After the older woman walked off the silence was almost deafening. She was afraid to move or even breathe lest she get caught. So she laid in wait in the cold, hoping the man would soon return to the farmhouse with the rest of the people, or retire to the tent as it appeared to be his. As the night progressed and the temperature dropped dew collected on her, dampening her clothes and chilling her further. She wanted to laugh. The last two days it seemed far more likely that it was going to be exposure that ended her rather than the corpses that were up walking about. In the darkness she could barely see the silhouette move to the tent, but in the stillness she heard the rustling of the flap quite clearly. She waited a while longer praying he would be asleep and not here her departure.

The boughs she had leaned up against the fallen log offered her little protection from the cold. She hadn't had time, thanks to getting pinned down earlier, to build a proper shelter. She shivered and looked longingly at the lights of the farmhouse. They would have blankets there, if not heat, maybe a wood stove if they were lucky. She thought she could hear the rumble of a generator if she listened closely. "Probably more trouble than they're worth," she cautioned herself. Still a part of her longed to head inside. "It's the cold," she warned, "you're obviously not thinking clearly."

Sleep didn't come easy this night. Her close proximity to these others left her on edge. Mostly however the cold bit at her. She tossed and turned, rubbed her bared skin attempting to warm it, and wiggled her toes to keep the blood flowing. Was it colder this night than last, or just the dampness? It wasn't until morning when the sun rose and so did the temperature that she was finally able to drift off.

She was woken to the sound of a vehicle tearing up the driveway and the commotion that followed. People spilled out of the farmhouse towards the car. She couldn't tell what was going on. The two men from the car, one of them was wearing a police officer's uniform, opened the trunk and pulled a third person out. They were headed towards the barn. She crept closer to see what was going on. There were a lot of angry words and hushed voices in the mix around the farm. Whatever was going on it was a big deal and she wanted to know. As the men came around the front of the barn she got her first clear glimpse of the one they had dragged from the vehicle.

A strangled cry escaped her lips before she could catch herself. It was Randall. One of the men looked up. He must have heard her. Fear paralyzed her for just a moment, then she turned to flee. No point sneaking around at this point, they already knew she was there. She went for speed, leaping over logs and dodging branches as she ran. Her body, though, lacking fuel and not yet recovered, was no match for her pursuer. She felt the dull whack of something hard hitting the back of her skull and everything went dark as she lost consciousness.

* * *

Shane dragged the girl back to the barn where Rick was waiting with Randall. They had handcuffed him inside and padlocked the door. He dropped her limp body at Rick's feet.

"Found this on her," he said, holding up the hunting knife she had stolen from the Walker that had tried to eat her the day before.

Rick looked down at the girl laying at his feet. Young woman actually, she might be in her mid-twenties, he thought. She was a tiny thing, barely over five feet tall and lucky if she weighed a hundred pounds. Rick noticed she was very thin. He guessed things had been tough and there hadn't been enough to go around wherever she was from, that or she'd been out in the woods a long time. He recalled before they'd come to Hershel's farm how sparse food had been and felt a pang of sympathy. Her brown hair was shoulder length, dirty and matted with twigs. Her skin was grubby. What stood out most to Rick were her bare and bloody feet.

"She's dangerous, Rick." Shane's voice brought Rick back.

"How do you figure, Shane? Look at her, she's just a girl..."

"She was spying on us, for Christ sake!"

"Maybe. Maybe she was just looking for some other survivors. All alone in the woods, stumbling upon this farm, looking for a better life like the rest of us," Rick offered, still trying to see the best in people no matter how cynical his best friend had become.

"Then why did she run?" Shane protested. "Tell me that then, why did she run?"

"Maybe we spooked her," Rick offered with a shrug. "How should I know."

"That's just it, though isn't it Rick?" the vehemence in his partners voice was clear. "You don't know. When the hell you going to realize the world isn't what it was anymore. You can't trust people. Not him," he gestured to the barn, "not her," he pushed the girl's limp body with his foot, "the world's changed, man, and you'd better start realizing that."

"What do you suggest then?" He questioned his partner.

"We lock her up," Shane nodded to the barn that held Randall, their other prisoner. "Find out what she's doing here. See if she's a threat," he trailed off briefly, catching Rick's gaze staring him straight in the eye, "and if she's a threat," he continued, "then we kill her. Same as him, Rick. We can't put the group in danger, you know that's how it's got to be. You know that, Rick."

Rick sighed, and nodded. "Not until we know for sure," he compromised, "you hear me Shane? We've got to be sure."

"Whatever man, I hear you. You just make sure you're thinking of Lori and Carl, that's all. We need to keep them safe." The two of them bent down and picked the young woman up by the arms and dragged her body into the barn.


	2. Captured

**Notes: I will probably be adding in a couple extra days to the timeline to allow for some of Kaesta's back story to come out before shit really starts to hit the fan as the timeline from the TV series here is pretty quick paced.**

**Chapter 2: Captured**

There was a throbbing pain pulsating at the back of her head. She squinted her eyes and tried to will it away but it just made it worse. She couldn't remember what had happened. Her head swam. It felt like she was moving, bobbing up and down. Wait, she was moving! Someone was carrying her, no, two people, they had her by under her arms. She tried to lift her head and groaned. It was too heavy, she let it fall back down.

"She's waking up," one of the men carrying her stated.

She felt a thud as she was unceremoniously dumped on the ground. There was a searing pain in her shoulder as her arms were wrenched behind her. "Pass me the cuffs," the other voice demanded. There was an audible click as they were fastened around each of her wrists. Her heart sank as she gathered herself enough to realize she'd been captured.

She forced herself to lift her head and open her eyes despite the near blinding pain from the hit she'd taken earlier. First she noticed the wooden walls, then above her a hay loft. She must be in the barn. She swung her head around and her eyes fell on the boy handcuffed and chained across the room.

"I don't believe it," Randall spoke, "hello Kay-sta," he over emphasized the syllables in her name. She blinked, trying to put two and two together and figure out what on earth the boy was doing here. "Fancy meeting you here." His sarcastic smirk made her want to vomit.

"You two know each other?" one of her captors demanded.

"Oh ya," Randall offered up just as the young woman had opened her mouth to speak. She closed it and stared incredulously across the room. "Kaesta and I here know each other. See she was with the same group as me, ya."

"I wasn't with them," she protested. "Not like he makes it sound."

"Oh really," she could already hear in her captors voice that he didn't believe a word she was saying. "Why don't you enlighten us then, tell us, what was it like? Just how do you know this piece of shit that shot at my partner and friends?"

"I...I..." Kaesta stammered. Everything was happening too fast her brain was having a hard time keeping up. She was starving, exhausted, and had suffered a head injury now to top it off. She closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts. When she opened them again the one who had been questioning her was standing back his arms crossed over his chest. He was an imposing man, dark in both his features and his demeanor. His head was shaved, and he had a menacing look about him.

Kaesta swallowed hard, wishing that she could be speaking to anyone else. The other man who had dragged Randall from the trunk, the one dressed as a police officer, stood silently near the door. She looked toward him, "It wasn't like he says," she tried, "I know him, he was there... but I'm not... I wasn't," she struggled with the words. "I wasn't part of their group. They picked me up on the highway when I was looking for supplies. I was their... hostage, not one of them. You have to believe me." She looked at the floor and the man standing in front of her scoffed.

"Don't believe her," Randall quickly chimed in. Both men turned to face him. "She, she's a good liar," he warned. "That's what she does you know. We found her on the highway, sure, that much is true. She practically begged us to take her with us. She seemed so helpless, you know. Vince wanted to leave her" he went on, "but me, I talked him into it. See I'd been on my own not so long ago. It was hard! Then I found them and they took me in... so I felt like I could relate to her. That's what she does, she finds ways to manipulate you. She's good, real good."

The police officer was puzzled. "So you took her in," he glanced from Randall to the young woman. "Why would she lie about that?"

"Because she killed him. She killed Vince," the boy blurted out. "I mean not right away of course, for a while she seemed ok," he went on. "Then she disappeared, she'd taken a bunch of our supplies and left my friend for dead." Randall paused and let out a deep sigh. "It was my fault, I talked him into picking her up. If not for me Vince would still be alive." His guilt and pain seemed genuine.

The young woman looked horrified. "I... I..." she stammered. "It wasn't like that," but she knew the battle was already lost.

"I think I've heard enough," the bald man stated. The police officer shook his head. They both turned to exit the barn. Kaesta didn't protest further, she knew it would be no use. After they had gone she just glared across the room at Randall.

* * *

"What'd I tell you, Rick?" Shane was agitated.

"I know, you said she's dangerous. I just have a hard time believing that."

Shane stared at his partner in wide-eyed disbelief. "Jesus man, she didn't even deny it. You heard her, 'it wasn't like that,' not 'I didn't kill anyone' or 'he's lying' or anything else you'd reasonably expect someone just falsely accused of murder to say." he paused.

"We don't have all the facts," Rick maintained.

"You know what needs to be done," Shane stated coolly.

Rick sighed. "We can't just make a decision like that. I need to think this over," he insisted.

By this time others were starting to gather outside to see what was going on.

* * *

Kaesta let out a deep sigh and leaned her head back against the pole. Her shoulders ached. She fidgeted and shifted her weight trying to adjust into a more comfortable position, or at least the allow the blood to flow a little freer. Handcuffed around the pole the way she was didn't leave her a lot of movement, unlike her counterpart across the room who could at least get up and walk around a bit on his chain.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly. Realistically she knew little had passed compared to how it felt. Dread, fear, not knowing - those were the culprits. She gently traced designs in the dirt on the floor with her big toe. Every now and then she'd bump or move her foot the wrong way and have to bite her lip to stop herself hollering out in pain. Putting off looking at them was doing her no good, but she wasn't in much of a hurry seeing as she couldn't do anything so long as she was stuck here either.

While she appeared to be absent-mindedly passing the time, she watched Randall out of the corner of her eye. He didn't look too bad off. Without a doubt he was scared as hell. However, so far as she could tell he hadn't been treated too badly. The only visible injury he had was a wound to his leg, which appeared well taken care of.

Maybe things weren't as bad as she'd figured. Besides, at least she could be thankful that she would not be spending another night out in the cold and wet. If nothing else, there were always little things to help her hang on to hope until she could find a way to escape. A small smile crossed her lips and she relaxed a bit.

"Shane's going to kill you, you know," the boy's voice blurted from across the room breaking the silence that had been stewing between them.

Startled by the sudden sound, Kaesta looked up straight at Randall. "What did you say?" Surely she had misheard.

"He's going to kill you," he repeated matter-of-factly.

Narrowing her eyes, Kaesta demanded, "Who is?"

"Shane."

"Which one is Shane?" Randall looked at her curiously. She glared back and tried again, "Which one is Shane?" He still just stared at her, trying to piece together what might be going on in that head of hers. Had he just been told that someone was going to do him in, he'd be asking why, or how they knew. Hell, he'd be visibly upset. She didn't even look overly worried.

Exasperated, she opened her mouth to ask yet again when Randall finally spoke up, "He's the asshole with the shaved head."

"Figured as much," Kaesta said nonchalantly.

"What is wrong with you?" He found her calmness unsettling. She said nothing. "They were going to let me go," he confessed. "Rick, well he..."

"Rick, that the police officer?" The young woman interrupted.

"Yeah. Rick, he's the police officer. Not a bad guy, really. You see, he wanted to drive me out, cut me loose. But we got attacked by them Walkers, didn't quite work out like he planned. had to bring me back here, see."

Randall was starting to ramble, the way he did when he got nervous. Kaesta just sat quietly and listened to him tell his story. He told her about how Rick had brought him back to the farm after he'd been abandoned by his group. Shane had wanted to kill him from the start. He was pissed that Rick had brought him back, believing he was a threat. None the less, Rick had saved his life and Hershel, the guy whom the farm apparently belonged to, had fixed up his leg.

When Randall was done reiterating the events of the past week Kaesta said nothing for a long while, just looked at him. "Look, I'd understand if you don't believe me," he offered. "I know you got no reason to believe anything I say especially after..." he trailed off and took a deep breath, "but I am telling you the truth."

"I believe you." After a long pause, she quietly spoke again, "That's why you told them I killed Vincent and ran off with the supplies. So that they would believe I was the threat." Randall was a coward, not malicious as some, but weak and spineless. Inside Kaesta seethed, but maintained her cool demeanor.

It was an observation. She wasn't angry. Her detachment made Randall increasingly uneasy. "What is wrong with you?" He asked for the second time. "Do you want to die or something?" When he said it he hadn't meant it, but as soon as it escaped his lips it dawned on him. He swallowed hard, not knowing what to say next.

Kaesta sat dumbfounded, not knowing how to answer. Even a few days ago she would have answered unequivocally yes. In fact she had begged for it, she had pleaded with a God she had never believed in and tried to make deals with the universe. Yet, given the chance, she ran. She struggled to survive; she pushed herself past her limits. She supposed that was only human nature, or rather the nature of any living creature, to keep on keeping on, to survive. Nothing more than a simple, basic instinct, she thought.

The awkward silence that had fallen between the was interrupted when the barn door opened. Expecting to see Shane, her supposed executioner, she looked up only to see an unfamiliar man standing in the doorway. He was average height, but solid. Kaesta cursed her stature, knowing she hadn't a hope of overpowering him to escape even if she could convince him to undo the cuffs. He scowled at them both from where he stood, a deep hatred contorted his features. In a different life, she could have found his rough, rugged appearance attractive, maybe even handsome. But standing there in his jeans and sleeveless shirt not saying a word, Kaesta would only describe him as intimidating, ugly and vile. Which, she reasoned, was probably what he was going for. Her heart beat like it had when she'd been fleeing through the woods, except this time instead of feeling like it would burst from her chest she felt more as if her entire body and soul might implode in on itself.

Kaesta swallowed everything she was feeling and turned to Randall who seemed to be acquainted at least to some degree with who was who around the farm. "Who's this then?" she asked hoping her voice wouldn't falter. Randall said nothing and simply shook his head in warning.


	3. The Interrogation

**Chapter 3: The Interrogation**

"Don't matter who I am," drawled the figure coming through the doorway. He oozed redneck. Probably drove a big rusty Ford, lived in a trailer and picked up road kill for supper before the world ended, Kaesta thought.

That voice, Kaesta recognized it immediately. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Before she was captured she'd heard that same gruff, country voice while she was pinned down near the tent; the tent that belonged to the angry, volatile man with the ear necklace and all the squirrels. Great. Things certainly were going downhill fast.

On the other side of the barn Randall was still and absolutely silent. Fear emanated from him. There was nothing he would do to cross this man. Kaesta wondered if there was a history or if the coward was just overly sensitive to the man's intimidating presence.

"If I'm going to die, I'd at least like to know who my executioner is going to be," Kaesta attempted bravery, but watching her counterpart across the room it was difficult not to share some of his fear of this imposing man. Her voice wavered a little, enough for both her and her jailor to know any bravery was false. None the less, she watched him closely to see his reaction. Surprise registered for just a millisecond. He wasn't planning to kill her. Either that or he didn't expect her to be so direct, but she was placing her bets on the former.

"I ain't come here t' kill ya," he assured her. Casually he walked over and bent down to where she sat. He got right up in her space and she could feel his warm breath on the side of his face. Glowering at her he added, "...yet." There was so much disgust expressed on his features and in his voice that the air was thick with it. She tried to pull away but hand-cuffed to the pole she had nowhere to go. "You an' me gonna have a 'lil chat," he informed her.

"Not really one for..." Kaesta started, but as the redneck's scowl intensified, she stopped realizing it was a bad time to pull attitude. This was not a man she wanted to try and push around. Maybe there was a good reason her fellow prisoner was sitting quietly. She took note, swallowed her words and shut her mouth.

"Let's start with who ya are an' what the 'ell you was doing' sneaking' 'round this farm." To the point. This wasn't a man that wasted time on words. She could count on him to say what he had to say, but nothing more. This was going to be difficult if she couldn't turn the tables and get him talking at least a little bit.

"And if you don't like my answers," the young woman asked, "you gonna kill me then?"

He looked at her and narrowed his piercing blue eyes, "Maybe."

* * *

Lori caught up with Rick on his way to the barn. Tension was clearly evident on her face. It tore him apart to see his wife like this, on one side, but on the other he got so tired with the drama. Marriages were supposed to go both ways, and right now he'd actually like some support from her instead of the steady criticism she was feeding him. The weight on his shoulders was getting to be too much for him, but the whole group looked up to him and he owed that to them. It was up to him to keep them safe, to make the tough decisions. Sometimes he wished that she could show a little understanding for that.

"Rick, we need to talk," Lori said falling in beside him. When he kept walking she reached out for his hand, stopping him, they turned to face each other. The warmth of her hand was a momentary comfort to the weary police officer. He loved her, but things were so strained between them. They hadn't been the same since he'd found her and Carl after waking up from his coma. Most recently she confessed that she'd slept with his best friend and partner on the force, Shane, while believing her husband dead. Somehow they'd work it out, but right now there wasn't the time.

"What is it, Lori?" Annoyance dripped through his voice. He found his patience for her was often short. He tried not to blame her for what happened, but, if he was being honest with himself, he did blame her. "I'm busy, I've got to..."

"I know," His wife didn't give him the chance to finish. "I just don't feel safe with these prisoners around. I mean, what if one of them escapes? We need to talk about what you're going to do with them."

"Look Lori, I don't have time for this," Rick was becoming impatient with his spouse's need to get involved where she didn't need to be. Him and Shane would handle it, even if they didn't see eye to eye right now. "I'm working on it."

The woman studied her husband. "Shane told me she was covered in blood when he found her. What if she was bit or scratched and she turns?"

Exasperated, Rick sighed. "'Covered in blood' would be a little melodramatic, Lori. She had some scratches from running through the bush. Yes, her feet were bloody, but she wasn't bit, they were just cut up." His wife stared at him doubtfully. "Christ Lori, she was running around with no shoes on, what would you expect of find?"

"I just don't want them here, not with Carl... And the baby," she pushed.

"You know, that is my son too, my baby, don't you think I'm thinking of them, of you, of all of us? Now look, I'm not going to let anything happen that would hurt our family. I'm not… but you need to let me do my job." He knew he'd likely regret his words later, but his patience was worn too thin. "I can't have you questioning my every move. Please Lori, just trust me."

* * *

"My name is Kaesta," she offered knowing full well that was not what he meant.

The redneck huffed. "So? Tha' much we know from yer friend o'er there," he nodded at the boy.

Really, she wished they would stop calling him that. To call him her friend couldn't be further from the truth. "Kaesta Jamieson," she tried again, "and Randall isn't my friend." Expecting her cell mate to pipe up again she glanced nervously in his direction. Nothing. He just sat and fidgeted seemingly extraordinarily interested with the dirt on the floor.

This answer didn't appear to satisfy him. "How d'ya know each other then?"

The young woman ignored his question. "What's your name?"

"What'd I say?" he snapped. "Don't matter who I am. Best answer my questions," her captor warned.

Things might actually have been easier had it been Shane who'd come to interrogate her, she mused. Some type of human connection, that's the most important thing she needed right now if she was going to find a way out of this. Because right now in this man's eyes she was not a human being, probably barely a step above one of them walking corpses. A name would help, some common ground would be better. Although what she could find to share with the psycho looming over her, she had no idea. Baby-steps, first she'd work on finding out who he was.

"It doesn't matter, eh? Then tell me," the young woman persisted, "What's your name?"

Her refusal caused his temper to flare. "You dumb or sumthin'? In case ya 'aven't noticed ya ain't in a position to be makin' demands 'ere."

Kaesta swallowed. He could sense her unease as she backed off and the corner of his mouth curled upwards ever so slightly. She'd need to give a little more before trying to take. Choosing not to tackle the question about how she knew Randall she went back to what she was doing at the farm. "I saw the farm from the top of the ridge. I could make out vehicles and the RV and thought there might be people here. So I made my way down the hillside and through the swamp to get a closer look."

"What for?" He snarled. "Thinking you'd come steal our food, steal our guns?" The accusation was fueled with a protectiveness she had overlooked. She'd picked up on it before, the first night she was hiding outside the farm, just in the form of hurt over someone lost, but she'd thought nothing more of it until now. This rough, unstable redneck cared deeply about the group. That made him especially dangerous if he believed she was a threat to them.

She didn't speak, just shook her head.

"What for then?" He demanded.

"I... I don't know," she stammered, realizing it was the honest truth. "I just, I don't know what I thought. It... It seemed like a good idea at the time, but then I got down here and I didn't know what to do. I haven't exactly had good experiences with the people I've run into so far," her gaze fell to the floor. Something softened in his expression with her burst of honesty. She hadn't really told him anything, but her tone was genuine and not the cold and rote as it had been before when she'd said she'd been the prisoner of Randall's group.

"So I was hesitant. I wanted to get a feel for if it'd be safe or if I should just keep on my way," the young woman continued. " 'Course the first thing I run into is a clothesline strung with squirrels and your," she paused, "…necklace of ears." She wrinkled her nose. Previously she'd only suspected it was his, but now she knew it was. "Most people collect baseball cards, or comic books or stuff like that, you know," she joked trying to ease the tension that was threatening to suffocate her.

An amused grin snuck onto his hardened face. It was the first glimpse she'd got that he was also a human being. Kaesta smiled.

A sharp knock on the door put an end to the interrogation. The redneck got up and strode across the room. "Wait!" Kaesta called after him. Reluctantly he turned back to face her. "I'd still like to know what to call you," she spoke softly giving it one last attempt.

"Name's Daryl," he mumbled not exactly sure why he was bothering to answer the evasive young woman. "Daryl Dixon."

* * *

Outside the barn Rick looked expectantly at Daryl. Eager to find out what he'd learned so he could decide what to do with the two prisoners in the barn and put his wife's concerns at ease. Daryl recounted the brief conversation he'd had with the girl and his overall impressions of her. Namely that she was hiding something. Telling it to Rick he realized he'd found out very little. It was not hard to mistake the disappointment on their leaders face.

Conflicted and in thought, Rick's eyebrows creased. Time was running out to decide what to do with Kaesta and Randall. The rest of the group was getting anxious with them still around. They'd been through so much, all of them, he just wanted to be able to give them some peace, some sense of security. However, Rick was a man of the law, of justice, and he couldn't bring himself to kill them when their guilt or innocence was still in question. Daryl stood back and watched him but said nothing.

"This process is too slow," Rick observed. Daryl raised an eyebrow. The officer heaved a sigh, "If only there was another way," he continued carefully, shaking his head, "but there's not, we'll just have to do the best we can. Let them stew a bit and try talking to them again, see if we can find out anything more before we make a decision." No more words needed to be spoken. Daryl could read between the lines, he knew Rick couldn't do what needed to be done, knew he couldn't ask him to do it. He didn't have to. Daryl could be the one to get his hands dirty.


	4. The Escape

**Chapter 4: The Escape**

Hours passed and Daryl Dixon didn't return. Darkness was setting in. It appeared Kaesta would be spending the night in the barn with no further questioning. Part of her was relieved, part of her wished they'd just get it over with so they could let her go or kill her. Either way must be better than sitting here not knowing what would happen next. Kaesta wondered if she'd only imagined that there'd been a moment where Daryl had seen her as a human being. She worried about the consequences if she was wrong.

Kaesta's eyes welled up with tears but she choked them back, turning so Randall wouldn't see. Sitting across from him, a constant reminder of the previous weeks, was not easy. Trusting him had been the biggest mistake of her life. With the adrenaline wearing off things were starting to catch up with her. In need of a distraction Kaesta busied herself examining her feet. Focus, intellectualize, distraction anything to push her emotions aside. That's how she coped. Problem was she wasn't coping so much as postponing the inevitable. At some point she'd have to face the truth.

Some of the cuts on the bottom were puffy and red. Infection was festering in the wounds. No doubt running through the cesspool of a swamp had done nothing to help their condition. Seeing them only confirmed what she'd already known from the sharp pain she'd felt when she bumped her feet. At least this gave her an idea how bad they were. It shouldn't be a problem so long as she could tend to them soon. While running through the woods she'd seen at least a few herbs she recognized from back home. Unfortunately so far she hadn't much of a plan for how she was going to escape to do that. All she could do was bide her time and wait for an opportunity to present itself.

* * *

Inside the farmhouse everyone gathered for dinner. Everyone except for Dale and Daryl. Dale was out on top of the RV keeping watch and Daryl was isolating himself on the outskirts of the farm. Ever since they had found Sophia inside the barn, already turned into a Walker, he had been pulling away from the group. Most of his time he spent out hunting or by his tent cleaning his crossbow and making new bolts.

Spirits were relatively good despite the hardships the group had suffered. No one mentioned the prisoners out in the barn and it was business as usual. They sat together, shared stories from their past and laughed over jokes. For a moment they could forget how crazy the world had got and live like normal people. It was as if outside the dead weren't rising to eat the living.

When they were finished their meal Carol stood up. "I'm going to take some food out to Dale," she announced. After her encounter with Daryl the other night she was giving him some space although still keeping a close eye on him. She worried about him. "I'll put something together for the two out in the barn," she offered, refusing to call them their prisoners.

After stopping by the RV with Dale's supper Carol made her way in the fading light to the barn. It bothered her a great deal that they were keeping the young woman and boy locked up out here. Everyone was so on edge already and their being here just added fuel to the fire. That and it broke her heart to think of them chained up the way they were. She wished Rick would hurry up and decide what to do with them. Let them go. Drop them off somewhere. Just get them away from the farm.

"I brought you some food and water," Carol spoke softly and gently as she entered the barn. Randall was sitting with his back leaning against the barn wall. She left the food just within his reach not chancing getting close enough for him to grab her. That boy and his friends had shot at Rick, Glenn and Hershel. She didn't trust him for a second. "It isn't much," she said apologetically as Randall hastily snatched up what was offered.

"If you're still gonna be on hunger strike there Kaesta, I'd gladly take your share. No point in wasting, you know?" There was mockery in his voice. He was braver with this older woman here than he would have been with any of the men. Kaesta comforted herself with the reminder that he was nothing but a coward. Still, tears welled up in her eyes and she turned away at the memory...the men bringing her a plate of food...Randall laughing along with them...Jake's collar on the side of the dish. He'd been her best friend for the last four years and her only companion through the madness following the outbreak and she missed him terribly. She would have starved before she gave in. She pushed the thought aside, she couldn't bear it. Focus. Anything else.

Carol's eyebrows knitted together and a frown crossed her face as she looked towards the girl. How old was she? Twenty-three? Twenty-four maybe? It was hard to tell. There was so much pain in her eyes. Something Carol knew all too well. How barbaric they were, keeping her like this. What had she actually done? Nothing really, she was just caught sneaking around the farm. Poor thing was probably just lost and scared. Dale was right, they were going to lose their humanity if they weren't careful.

"Kaesta, right?" Carol asked, searching the younger woman's face for something to give her a clue where all that pain was coming from.

Kaesta nodded studying the woman standing in front of her. There was such a deep sadness in her face. Kaesta had a good idea why. Yet here she was, still with empathy for this stranger. Kaesta admired her strength. It made her feel vile to be thinking that she might be able to use this woman and that this might be the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

"How old are you?" Carol asked trying to extend some kindness in casual conversation and treating the girl like a human being. There was something motherly about her, Kaesta thought.

"I'm twenty-eight," Kaesta told her. Carol was shocked. She certainly didn't look twenty-eight. "May I ask your name?" She hoped this woman would be a little more forthcoming than Daryl had been.

"I'm Carol." She seemed willing enough to exchange social niceties. As Carol awkwardly held the water and bits of meat for Kaesta who's arms were handcuffed behind her back to the pole, the two women chatted.

"This squirrel?" Kaesta managed between mouthfuls, recognizing the taste of the stringy meat.

Carol laughed. "Yes, I think so. How do you know it's squirrel?"

Kaesta smiled warmly. "I've ate my fair share since, well, since all this," she gestured with her eyes since her arms were immobilized behind her, "started happening. Just like the rest of you," she offered bridging the gap between them. The more Carol could relate to her the better. Laughing she added, "Besides, I saw a bunch hanging outside of Daryl's tent. It seemed like a safe guess." It was hardly a guess. Kaesta would recognize squirrel anywhere but she wanted that common ground.

Kaesta made sure to be as open as she could and to give more than she got. She needed to gain the woman's trust. Carol learned that the young woman was from a small town on the west coast of British Columbia. She'd come down across the border for some sort of conference just before the outbreak hit. She had been married once but her husband, a mechanic, had died a year later in a car crash. That was four years ago. She had no kids, just her dog Jake, whom her and her husband had got just months before his accident. Jake was no longer with her. She didn't elaborate but Carol just assumed that a Walker had got him. Kaesta fought back tears and Carol didn't push her for any more details about her life.

Time was running out. Kaesta swallowed the last piece of meat. "Maybe," she proposed, "you could talk to, Rick, is it? I know you need to keep me locked up until you're sure I'm not here to hurt any of you, and I get that, that's okay."

"I..." Carol didn't know what to say. She just looked at Kaesta an expression mixed of sympathy and uncertainty.

"But, my shoulder's really hurt, and I'm not sure how I'm going to sleep." Kaesta let her eyes fall on Randall with his length of chain, waiting until she was sure that Carol's gaze had followed. Taking a deep breath she continued, "I don't need much. Just enough so I can move a bit and maybe lay down." After all, if Randall, who tried to kill Rick and whomever else was allowed that much, why shouldn't she be. She didn't speak the last part, but hoped Carol would pick up on it and think the idea her own.

Carol nodded but didn't speak. Kaesta hoped it would be enough. "Thank you, Carol."

"So what are you planning?" Randall prodded after Carol had left.

"I'm not planning anything," Kaesta lied. "If they wanted to kill me like you say, why would they bother to waste food on me?" Randall contemplated this, but he knew if Shane had his way they'd both be dead. Kaesta knew this too and wasn't willing to take the chance. Not that she really expected to get away, but she had to at least try.

Time passed and Kaesta started to doubt that Carol had talked to Rick at all or that he was going to come. Eventually he showed up with a length of chain which he fastened with a padlock around the post. Looking truly apologetic he said, "I'm sorry it has to be this way."

Kaesta smiled and nodded. "That's alright." She was so easy going, so accepting of her circumstance. She wanted him to be comfortable, to underestimate her. "I just appreciate you doing this." She caught Rick's eye and offered him a sad smile.

"I'm going to uncuff you," Rick explained as he crouched down beside her, "then you're going to put your hands out slowly in front of you and I am going to secure them to this chain." Kaesta nodded. Her heart was pounding. "If you try anything," he warned, "I won't hesitate to shoot you. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Kaesta agreed to his terms, but she doubted that he would. It was a big risk to be taking, it was her life after all, but she didn't think he had it in him. Besides, if she stayed, it was almost a certainty that his partner would kill her.

Reaching behind the young woman Rick undid the handcuffs. As soon as her wrists were free Kaesta leapt up, knocking the officer off balance. There was no gunshot as she made a beeline to the barn door. Behind her she could hear Rick hollering something, but her heart was pounding so hard it drowned it out.

She could disappear into the woods and then away from this farm forever. This time she wouldn't stop running. No more people, just her on her own. She didn't need them; she had no problem fending for herself. Hell, that's just what she'd been doing before she had the misfortune to run into Randall's group. Although she'd had Jake then.

For that brief moment she tasted freedom and thought, miraculously that her foolish, desperate plan had worked. Then, as she rounded the corner, she plowed straight into something. Someone. She didn't even see it happen. Next thing she knew she was flat on her back gasping for air. The wind was knocked out of her when she'd hit the ground. She tried to get up but realized that she was pinned. Everything was coming back into focus.

"The fuck you doin'?" Daryl hadn't anticipated just how light she was, hadn't expected for her to hit the ground so hard. It was the closest he would come to an apology. He looked her up and down hoping he hadn't cracked her ribs. He'd only meant to stop her, not to hurt her when he'd heard Rick holler for assistance. "Rick!" He called, "O'er here."

Once, twice she blinked. Kaesta hadn't heard a word Daryl had said as she regained her bearings. She struggled to stand. With his weight on top of her she couldn't move. Panic set in. Trying desperately to escape she thrashed wildly, yelling incoherently at him. The breath she had gained was lost in a claustrophobic, suffocating fear. She was sobbing and trying to gulp in air while hot tears streamed down her face.

"The hell?" Daryl didn't know what to do with her. "Best stop 'fore you break sumthin'," he warned concerned in her frantic state she was going to hurt herself. There was something about the wild-eyed terror that registered with him. "Shit," he mumbled under his breath. He backed off, keeping a grip on one of her arms. "Git up," he demanded. She didn't hear him. "Git up," he tried again as he yanked her to her feet. After a couple of deep breaths she stood. She was still crying uncontrollably but she was listening.

"What did you do to her?" Rick asked watching the spectacle from the barn door. The young woman was terrified.

"Didn't do nothin'" Daryl growled back. Both men exchanged a puzzled look. As he dragged Kaesta beside him back into the barn Daryl glanced sideways at her. He had a good idea, but he wasn't sure. He certainly hoped he was wrong.

Kaesta walked easily back to the post where she'd been handcuffed before and slumped to the floor. Without a word she held her wrists out in front of her. Whereas before she had made a point of making eye contact and trying to engage them, now the young woman would not meet their eyes.

Across the room Randall grinned. "Some great plan there, Kaesta. How did you see that working out?" As the two captors glared at him he laughed nervously and shut up.

Rick looped the handcuffs through the chain and secured them around her wrists, which were already raw where the metal had been rubbing her skin. Daryl fidgeted uncomfortably at the sight of her trembling and forlorn. He'd seen her afraid before, trying to hide it no matter how futile. It had been almost amusing how hard she tried. This was different. She was barely aware that they we there and she certainly wasn't trying to put on appearances. He felt bad for the young woman, and angry at himself for giving a damn about some stranger.

"I want t' talk to 'em separately, ain't no use talkin' to 'em t'gether like that." Daryl informed Rick once they were both outside the barn.

Rick looked at Daryl questioningly. "If that's what you..."

"She ain't gonna say shit with him there." Daryl snapped not allowing Rick to finish. "I'll talk to 'em in the mornin' when she's settled." End of conversation. It was clear he had no intentions of saying anything further or sharing his suspicions with Rick at this point in time.

Rick just nodded unsure of where Daryl was going with this but trusting him to make the call. He found where him and his former partner Shane were becoming further divided he was looking more to Daryl. To his surprise, the antisocial loner was stepping up to the task amazingly well.

**Notes: I had thought about making this into two chapters. One for the interaction with Carol and the bit of back story that comes out there and another for her escape attempt. However, I'm trying to transition here and didn't want it to drag out. Also, I am trying very hard to keep people in character, so if you notice anything that seems OOC, please let me know so I can get back on the right track. I've got the next chapter or two planned out and I have some ideas where I want to go with this, but it is definitely a work in progress and open to change.**


	5. The Decision

**Chapter 5: The Decision**

Rick fetched Kaesta from the barn in the morning and took her to a small shed that was located next to it. It was Daryl's idea to seperate the prisoners. After her little escape attempt the previous night Rick kept a good hold on her while transferring locations. Chained alone inside the shed Kaesta's imagination was left to run wild. This was too reminiscent of previous events. Whatever they had in store for her, it couldn't be good.

She strained her arms against the handcuffs binding her. The hard metal dug into the already raw skin drawing blood. The pain barely registered with the need to get free so overwhelming. The door wasn't locked if she could just get her wrists free? "Damnit," she groaned kicking the wall in frustration. There was no way she could slip her hands through the cuffs. She heard the thud of the barn door nearby.

Daryl paced back and forth in front of their prisoner. He took no pleasure in his task, but he wasn't about to let that stop him from getting what he needed. Rick had all but said what he wanted Daryl to do knowing the redneck could read between the lines. He cared about the group, and he'd do what was necessary to protect them.

Kaesta could hear the dull whack of flesh against flesh; she could hear Randall whimpering and pleading with Daryl as he was being beaten. She cringed.

"I told you," Randall cried.

"You told me shit," Daryl growled back as he slammed him into the wall.

How many times had Kaesta wished Randall dead, wished them all dead. But... That was still a human being in there being tortured. Her stomach turned and she thought she might vomit. With her head between her knees she sat breathing slowly trying not to listen; trying not to remember.

Daryl carefully drew his knife, slamming it into the ground next to Randall. The boy jumped, he couldn't help but stare at the sharp blade. "How many?" Daryl demanded to know.

Kaesta couldn't understand why it bothered her after what Randall's group had put her through she figured she would have enjoyed to watch any of them suffer. Instead it just made her nauseous at every shout, every plea, every scream. "Please stop," she whispered, trying to will the interrogation in the barn next door to end. Instead the whimpering and screaming intensified as Daryl dug the knife into Randall's leg wound. Kaesta covered her ears but it wasn't enough to drown it out.

"Your boys shot at my boys. Tried to take this farm." Daryl snarled at Randall. Because like it or not, these were his people now. This felt more like a family to Daryl than his own ever had, and he would go to the ends of the earth for them, he'd just never admit it. "You tryin' tell me you're innocent?"

The noise subsided. Randall was either talking or dead. Then it occurred to her. Randall had told these people she killed Vincent and run off with supplies. He'd given up how many there were, how well armed they were... But that didn't eliminate her as a threat. Christ, what had she been thinking, that just because she had a nice chat with Carol, that there'd, maybe, been a moment of unspoken understanding between her and Daryl, that they would forget that she was accused of being a murderer? An accusation she hadn't even bothered to deny.

Besides, Rick led this group, not Daryl, and from everything she had gathered Shane was his right-hand man. It could very well be Shane that returned to finish her interrogation, and by the sounds of things in the barn next door they'd lost their patience for chatting. With Daryl, she might stand a chance. She'd seen it in his eyes when he caught her escaping from the barn. He believed her. With anyone else she hadn't a hope.

* * *

Tension was high as everyone anticipated news on their prisoners and a decision on what they would do with them. Tolerance for having them around was running low and tolerance for the uncertainty of what to do with them was even lower. Gathered around the fire pit outside the group hounded Rick to know what the plan was.

"We'll know soon enough," Rick assured them as he watched Daryl approach, crossbow slung over his shoulder, knuckles bloodied. The expression on his face was grim. Randall's group was a serious threat to them. He was sure now that he had been right about the girl. It fit with what Randall had told him about the kind of people he travelled with and what they were capable of.

Daryl explained the gravity of the situation. Warning that if Randall's group did roll through, their men would be dead and their women would wish they were. In Rick's mind it was settled. In Shane's mind it had been settled a long time ago. Most everyone else was willing to just go along.

"We need to talk," Daryl motioned to Rick for them to speak in private. Out of earshot of the rest of the group he told their leader, "The girl's innocent."

Rick looked surprised. He spoke slowly, carefully. "Did you... talk to her?"

"No," Daryl admitted.

"Then how do you know? She supposedly killed a man and she never denied it," Rick reminded him.

"May have," Daryl agreed as if this didn't somehow contradict what he'd just said.

Rick was baffled. "May have?" He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled while he pondered what he'd just heard. "Let me get this straight. She 'may have' killed a man, and yet you're telling me she's innocent and you haven't even talked to her..." he shook his head unable to follow Daryl's logic. "You need to help me understand, Daryl. How can she be innocent?"

"They raped her," he said bluntly.

"Did Randall tell you that?" Rick asked trying to get the facts straight. Seeing as Randall was the only one Daryl had been with this morning it made sense that he must have confessed.

"Not exactly." Daryl winced, recalling the story the boy had told him about the father and his two teenage daughters.

Disgust filled Rick's face as he thought about what he'd just been told. "She's not a teenager, Carol was talking to her, said she's twenty-eight. You said Randall told you these girls were real young," he observed, "he couldn't have been talking about her."

"I know." Sometimes talking to Daryl was like prying teeth.

"How can you be so sure then? Don't you think she would have told us?" Rick just wasn't drawing the same conclusions, he needed Daryl to connect the dots for him.

Daryl looked uncomfortable. "My brother, Merle, he'd git all fucked up, drugs an' shit," he started to explain. "Hell if he wasn't high or drunk half the time, when he wasn't locked up that was." This wasn't news to Rick. He remembered Merle and the complete asshole he had been. Daryl was struggling. "Merle he was always bringin' women 'round. But, well Merle bein' Merle an' all, he didn't always play nice, an' he didn't always know when to stop."

Rick nodded, amazed that Daryl was saying anything about his past or his family, he was always so closed off emotionally from the group. He didn't dare interrupt.

Daryl respected Rick tremendously. It was hard for him to tell him this; the shame he felt for his brother at that moment was deep. Normally he'd overlook Merle's flaws; that was his big brother and he looked up to him. Hell, Merle'd practically raised him. "The other night outside the barn... I seen that look 'fore. Seen it with sum the girls Merle brought 'round when I had to pull him off 'em. Wasn't me hittin' her she was scared of." Daryl grimaced and looked away.

Understanding spread over Rick's face. "She's in the shed by the barn," he informed Daryl. His tone had softened immediately. "We'll go talk to her, and if you're right then we'll work out a way to let her go. If she killed someone for that, we can't blame her, that doesn't make her a threat to us." Daryl nodded.

They got to the shed outside the barn and Kaesta wasn't there. Rick took a deep breath and tried to maintain his composure. Daryl let out a string of curses as he turned kicking the dirt in a rage. "Can you track her?" Rick inquired.

Daryl examined the shed. There was blood everywhere; the cuffs were gone. "She's bleedin' pretty bad, should be easy," he assured Rick. Being a hunter he had plenty of experience tracking game. At first tracking her was easy. She'd done nothing to disguise her tracks. Strangely though they headed further into the farm, not away. "The hell she up to?" Daryl wondered aloud.

Rick was having second thoughts. "Maybe Randall was right, she could be after our supplies," he suggested.

Daryl shook his head refusing to believe it. He knew what he'd seen. "Nah, girl's up to sumthin' else here." Soon enough he figured out what it was. They stopped by the path to the fire pit. "Sonofabitch."

Rick looked startled. "What is it?"

"Fuckin' clever 'lil thang," Daryl admired. "She knew we could track 'er," he exclaimed. "So she came in 'ere. Right where everybody's walkin'. All the comin' an' goin' covered up her tracks," he explained. "Hell if I know where she gone from here."

"How did no one see her?" Rick was amazed. So was Daryl. The best explanation they could come up with was that she'd been very careful, very quiet, and that everyone else had been too preoccupied with everything else going on. "What about the blood," Rick sounded hopeful, "we can still follow that, right?"

Daryl shook his head. "Must be clottin' up," he scanned the ground but saw no trace.

"Are you saying she's gone and there's nothing we can do to find her," Rick deflated.

Daryl squinted and looked around. "I can search the perimeter o' the farm, see if I pick up 'er trail. Could take all day tho', she'd be long gone."

"We have to try."

* * *

Kaesta glanced behind her to ensure that she wasn't being followed. There was a big commotion back near the fire pit. They'd discovered she was missing. Hopefully her tracks would confuse them long enough to give her a decent head start. It had been a risky move, but if it worked, it would be worth it. Pain shot through her feet with every step but she hobbled along. Who was she kidding, at the rate she was going even if it kept them busy half the day they'd still be able to catch up to her. Running wasn't exactly an option.

Next to her stood Daryl's tent. There were fewer squirrel carcasses today on the line outside it. She thought back to her dinner and conversation with Carol the previous night, finding she felt quite fondly for the older woman. Daryl's string of ears remained. Shaking her head Kaesta laughed, he was a curious one. So rough around the edges, angry, hard. Yet she'd seen in him a tremendous protectiveness for this group. Unlike the people Randall came from, Daryl hadn't tortured the boy for any reason other than to get information to keep the rest of them safe. The reclusive redneck cared about them, though he pretended like he didn't. That's all any of them had done, in one way or another, was to try and keep the group safe. Kaesta smiled. They were lucky, she thought. All of them, they were lucky they had each other.

Standing near the forest's edge she needed to make a decision. Stay and try to convince them that she's not a threat, that she could even be an asset, or run, proving she can't be trusted for the unlikely chance she might get away. Shane would kill her given the chance if she went back. She might die on her own... would likely die on her own eventually. Was she crazy to think that she might be better off to stay?


	6. The Search

**Notes: Thank you to everyone who has been reading and for the reviews. I wont lie, I love it and it's a huge motivator! I had a hard time with this chapter and ended up pretty much rewriting the whole thing because I didn't like how it had turned out. But, we're finally getting to see some interaction between Daryl and my OC, and I'm really excited to write the next couple of chapters now that she'll be in a position to show what she can do and will be interacting with the characters more. Sorry I've been so slow working up to this point, but I wanted to get some of the backstory in there.**

**Chapter 6: The Search**

Daryl circled the perimeter of the farm twice looking for any fresh tracks going out. If Kaesta had headed out of the farm, he would find her trail. In this new world his game tracking skills were turning out to be useful in more situations. Meanwhile most of the others formed a grid and swept the farm incase she was still there.

Maggie and Carol stayed with Beth who had tried to kill herself the day before. The poor young thing was a wreck since the incident with the Walkers at the barn. Carol could understand all too well what she was going through. Beth lost her mother, Carol her daughter. She sat on the edge of the bed gently stroking her hair, "It's alright sweetheart, I'm here if you want to talk."

Lori also remained at the farmhouse with Carl. Rick hadn't wanted her joining the search with her being pregnant. Not that Lori wanted to go look for the young woman anyways. Dale maintained watch for both Walkers and the escapee from the top of the RV. He sat back in his lawn chair, rifle across his lap scanning the farm.

Hours passed and Daryl returned empty handed. The search party also had turned up nothing. Upon seeing Daryl return, Carol left Maggie to tend to Beth and went out to see what news there was.

Rick was frustrated. "It's like she just vanished."

"People don't just vanish, Rick," Shane grumbled clenching his fists. The prisoner's disappearance made him furious and cemented his belief that they ought to have killed them both. Shane still doubted the girl's innocence and he used her escape as a catalyst to push for Randall's execution before he managed to do the same.

"If she's innocent, just let her go," Carol pleaded with them.

Rick shook his head ruefully. "She won't make it on her own. She needs medicine. I should have got Hershel to take a look at her. Her feet looked pretty bad last time I saw them." There was remorse in voice. He was one to take the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"We don't know she's innocent," Shane spat. Daryl glared at Rick's second in command but said nothing. Was no point in arguing with him, Shane only heard what he wanted to hear. He was stubborn and once his mind was made up there was no changing it.

"It'll be getting dark soon," Hershel warned, "we should probably call it a day. It's not safe to have anyone out here at night. With the warmer weather and the swamps drying up the Walkers are getting more active. Best be safe and stick close to the farm."

Hershel was right. They couldn't put themselves at risk to keep looking for the young woman.

"Where's Maggie?" Glenn quietly turned to Carol.

"Inside looking after Beth," Carol answered. The young Asian boy headed in towards the farmhouse.

"I'll take watch," Andrea volunteered climbing to the top of the RV to relieve Dale. He climbed down off the RV and joined the rest following Glenn's lead back to the farmhouse. Daryl stuck to his loner routine and did not join them. Instead he returned to his post on the outskirts of the farm.

* * *

Kaesta laid low listening to the voices nearby. When they'd planned to form a grid and search the farm she'd been been apprehensive. However, she maintained faith in her plan. It would work. This was the one place they wouldn't look for her. Now however, as the voices dispersed and she heard footsteps incoming she began to wonder if it was such a good idea. She bit her lip, doubt creeping into her heart. It was a huge gamble she was placing on a couple glimpses and a hunch. Last time she trusted someone the results had been disastrous, it had nearly destroyed her.

These people were different, she reminded herself. They cared about each other, looked out for each other. They were making a life for themselves here. Thinking back to the night she'd spent in the woods, looking over the warm lights of the farmhouse, she felt that same longing. She could take care of herself, survive in the woods, but these people, they had something more than that. They had each other.

Daryl sat on a log outside his tent and cleaned his crossbow. He took meticulous care of the piece of machinery. It was his protection, his livelihood, his way of life. It helped take his mind off Kaesta. He was pissed off that she'd escaped. Or rather, he was angry that he even cared that she'd escaped or what was going to happen to her now. She was no one to him and he didn't want to give a damn. But he did. They were both damaged and he felt a sort of bond with her. He felt protective of her. He'd felt that way of Sophia too. Fat lot of good that had done, he thought.

At the thought of Sophia he felt his rage return. Carol was the only one taking her death harder than him. But he didn't know how to deal with what he was feeling. He was angry and he isolated himself. He slung his crossbow over his shoulder and headed towards the tent. Best get some sleep and get both Sophia and Kaesta out of his head.

As soon as Daryl drew open the flap he knew something was wrong. He sensed it, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end before he saw anything out of the ordinary. Instinctively he drew his knife to the ready. In the confined space it was easier than his crossbow. "The fuck you doin' in my tent?" He growled in surprise realizing the intruder was none other than their escapee.

"Hi, Daryl," Kaesta managed meekly, her voice shaky. What had she been thinking? This was a terrible idea. Although it was too late to take it back, now she had to go with it. She shifted her weight uneasily and held her hands up to prove she wasn't armed.

Daryl noticed that the young woman was trembling and covered in blood. She'd done quite a number on her hands and wrists getting free from the cuffs which still dangled from her right wrist. Her left hand was wrong. It looked like it might have been broken. It was hard to tell with all the blood and bruising. Why go through all that just to come back? Why come to him of all people? He frowned, sheathing his knife.

Anxiety was tearing at Kaesta's soul. She trusted Daryl more than anyone else she'd met on the farm, but part of her was still afraid of him. He was unpredictable, could be violent, and had a quick temper. "I need your help," she told him.

Daryl studied the young woman sitting in front of him. She was looking worse for wear. "Wit' what?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, for starters," she held up her left hand, "I could use some help with my thumb. It's dislocated."

Daryl shook his head. "I'll git Hershel," he offered, deferring to the only one in the group with any medical experience. Now-a-days it didn't matter if it had been with barn animals, that still made him the closest thing to a doctor they had, and that was good enough.

"No!" Kaesta nearly shouted. Softening her tone she pleaded, "Please... You could have hollered for someone the second you saw me, but you didn't. You gave me this chance, all I'm asking is for you to give me a little more time."

"An' to fix yer thumb, do I look like a damn doc to ya?" Truthfully, Daryl had patched up more of his own wounds than any doctor would ever see. He'd had his fair share of dislocations too. Growing up in the Dixon's household had been rough, really rough. Three times at least his shoulder had been dislocated that he could remember. He knew that girl was in a lot more pain than she was letting on.

"It's not hard," Kaesta pushed, "I'd do it myself if I could, but I'd need both hands and that's posing a bit of a problem right now," she laughed nervously uncertain of the redneck in front of her. Daryl looked skeptical. "Just keep firm pressure at the base with one hand. Here like this," she demonstrated on herself. "Then with your other hand, grab the thumb here and pull straight out and pop the joint back in place. It's simple."

The young woman was incredibly matter-of-fact about it. It was cute the way she tried to act tough, the way she tried to be brave but he could still see when she was afraid. He wished she wouldn't be afraid of him.

Kaesta was still sitting holding her hand out looking expectantly at him. Daryl acquiesced, taking her hand and doing as she said. Squeezing her eyes shut she bit her lip anticipating the pain. When he pulled the thumb he saw her flinch, but she didn't make a sound.

"There." It was done.

Kaesta gently examined her hand. "Piece of cake, eh?" she said offering him a small smile. "Thank you, Daryl."

For several minutes they sat, neither of them saying anything. "What'd ya come back for?" Daryl finally broke the silence.

Kaesta looked up. "What do you mean?"

"The hell you think I mean? Look what you did to yer hand to escape! We searched for you all damn day, an' the whole time yer campin' out in my tent. Wha'for?"

"I'm tired of running. I hoped you'd believe me that I'm not here to hurt any of you." She dropped her eyes to the ground remembering the look of recognition on Daryl's face the night previous.

"Ya, I know," he replied his voice as soft and gentle as Kaesta had ever heard it. She looked up and Daryl offered her a weak smile then averted his gaze. "If yer plannin' on stayin'," he started.

"Who said I'm staying?" Kaesta quickly interjected. "I just don't want you chasing me when I leave." Daryl just stared her down and waited knowing she didn't really want to leave. She heaved a great big melodramatic sigh. "Fine, what is it then?"

Daryl knew she wouldn't want to hear what he had to say. He fidgeted and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Ya need to go talk to Rick and the others, you have some explainin' to do if they gonna trust you 'round the farm."

"Can't it wait until morning?" Kaesta pleaded. "I'm not ready to face them." Really it was the truth she wasn't ready to face.

"Don't ya wanna go git those cuffs off?" He tried.

"I'll be fine until morning," she would have put up with anything just to not have to go talk to Rick right then.

Daryl would rather'd have just got it done and out of the way. If something needs to be done just do it. But he had a soft spot for this young woman and he didn't want to push her away. He knew she was in a fragile state and was just as likely to run again as to stay. She didn't trust them, but for some reason she trusted him - at least a little bit. "Alright, in the mornin'," he conceded.

"Thank you." Kaesta held his eyes and smiled. Eye contact came so easy for her, she was good with people. She could smile and it always felt genuine. Sometimes it made Daryl uncomfortable and he'd look away breaking that contact, but she was back to herself and he was glad for that. It had broke his heart seeing her the way she was after her first escape attempt from the barn. After a while in silence she called out gently, "Daryl?"

He grunted in response. "What?"

"Randall told you I killed a man. You've never even asked me if it's true," Kaesta pointed out, a little surprised that it never came up.

"Don't make no difference if it is or it ain't," Daryl drawled.

She'd made the right choice this time, she thought peacefully.

"Here," Daryl tossed the extra blanket he'd had from before the weather started to warm up. "Don't go gettin' too comfortable, it's jus' for tonight. T'morrow yer gonna make yer own arrangements, got it?"

"Got it." Kaesta gathered the blanket up setting herself opposite of Daryl in the tent. It was plenty big enough for the two of them, although Daryl felt crowded and uneasy with her so close. Eyes closed, wrapped up in the soft, warm blanket, she couldn't remember the last time she felt so content. She was warm, dry, comfortable, as safe as could be expected, and she wasn't alone. What more could she ask for?


	7. A Stranger in the Group

**Notes: Thanks again for the feedback! Whatever trouble I had with the last chapter, this one came very easy. It's a little longer than the previous ones. I hope you don't find it too long and boring.**

**Chapter 7: A Stranger in the Group**

Daryl woke up in the morning to an empty tent. Kaesta was gone. He cursed, grabbed his crossbow and headed out. The young woman's tracks led straight into the woods. Why'd she run now but not yesterday, he wondered as he worked his way methodically through the trees.

Kaesta was sitting with her back up against the trunk of a large red cedar, arms folded over her knees, head down. When she woke up in the morning the tent and the farm had felt too confining. Suffocating. She needed space so she went to the only place she knew to go - the woods. The whole world had changed, turned upside down, yet some things remained no matter what. How many times in her previous life had she done just this when the stress had got to be too much. The forest had always been her sanctuary.

She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the mixed pine and cedar, the earthy forest floor. She felt grounded, connected with the universe. It was hard. She was trying to have faith that it wouldn't throw more at her than she could handle. When the outbreak hit she had adapted amazingly well. Her and Jake had been a good team. Then things fell apart, and the last few weeks she'd been crushed and given up faith, almost given up on life. Here she was presented with another chance, hope, a future. A tendency towards balance, she thought. Or maybe it was all just crap and everything that was happening was just chance.

Coming up behind her and off to the left a little she heard it. A Walker. Instinctively she clutched the rock she'd sat next to her with her right hand. She wished she still had the hunting knife she'd looted from the body of the Walker she'd killed at the creek. Dangling from her wrist the handcuffs clinked together. Lifting the rock she turned and swung it full force at the approaching monster.

"Whoa there!" Daryl called out in surprise as he caught her by the arm in mid swing.

"Daryl?" Kaesta stood her jaw half open, wide eyed. "Jesus, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I could have hurt you," she scolded. Feeling warmth spread up her cheeks as she flushed she turned away.

"Thought you'd run off," Daryl admitted. "The hell you doin' out here anyway? You dumb or sumthin'? Wanderin' 'round alone like that's gonna be a good way to get yerself bit." The southern flare to his accent was strong. His face pinched together and there was an aggressive tone to his voice. He hated that he cared. He was a Dixon, after all, and Dixon's do just fine on their own. He didn't need some dumb girl around, that's for sure.

Stung by his words Kaesta was speechless at first. Kindness wasn't his forte. But she wasn't about to let him push her around. "If you were one of those... Things, you'd be dead," she retorted confidently.

Daryl scoffed dismissively. The two of them just stared at each other. "C'mon," Daryl finally said, "I ain't got all day, ya know." motioning for her to come with him he turned and headed back to the farm. It was time to go meet the others. Kaesta's heart sank but she fell in line next to Daryl.

Once back at the farm it was decided that Rick, Shane and Daryl would talk to the girl that way it wouldn't be too overwhelming for her to have to tell her story to everyone. If it panned out, she could stay.

Rick sat across from her. Gingerly he prodded her to talk, "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Nervously Kaesta rubbed at her raw and cut up wrists. Rick had removed the handcuffs so they we no longer dangling from her one arm. "I was out on the highway scavenging for supplies," she started. She went on to tell them how group of men had pulled up in a couple of pick up trucks. From the looks of it they'd been out scavenging for supplies too. This was the first group of survivors Kaesta had run into since getting out of Atlanta. Like many other's she'd been lured there with the promise of aid and military protection.

Behind Rick, Shane shifted his weight impatiently back and forth. He made no attempt to disguise his dislike or lack of trust for the young woman. Daryl shot him a glance muttering something under his breath. Kaesta paused watching this exchange.

"It's ok, go on," Rick urged her.

A couple of the guys had stopped and tried to get Kaesta to go with them, but she had declined. "It was Randall who finally convinced me," she stared expressionlessly at the ground. "He'd said I should at least come meet their people, check out their camp before I said no. It was safer with a group, he'd insisted. I believed him. I'm not even sure if he knew what they had planned." They never did bring her back to their camp. Instead they took her to some abandoned storage unit and locked her in one of the containers.

Rick reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "I know this is hard," he said softly.

Over the course of two or three weeks they would return every few days. Kaesta choked up recalling the living hell she'd been in. "Vincent...and...I...I don't know who the other one was...they...," she was struggling to get the words out.

Daryl caught her eye and gave her a small nod of encouragement. Although he was having a hard time standing still, he was listening intently to her story. His heart wrenched knowing where it was going.

Reluctantly Kaesta explained how she had been raped and tortured. How she had escaped and ran through the woods until she had come across the farm. How she'd been hesitant and not known what to do when she'd found there were people here.

Daryl's fists clenched into a tight ball. "Randall?" he asked her.

Kaesta shook her head. "No, he never laid a hand on me. Of course, he never did anything to help me neither. He was a coward, he wasn't going to stand up to them, so he just went along, stood back and watched."

Daryl didn't doubt for a second that every word she had spoken was true. He thought back to when he was interrogating Randall and he'd told him about the father and his two daughters. Randall hand insisted that he hadn't touched those girls. Maybe he wasn't lying.

Rick had a feeling there was more that she wasn't telling them, that was too painful for her to say. He wan't going to push for further details. "Why didn't you just tell us all of this in the first place?" he asked.

"Would you have believed me if I had? You'd been told I was a liar and a murderer."

Rick's eyes fell to the ground. Shane let out a huff.

"I had been running from what happened just as much as I was running from them. I was afraid; I was ashamed... I didn't know if I could trust any of you. That's why I never told you."

Shit. What was he supposed to say. Daryl wasn't exactly the talking type. Certainly no shrink. "Ain't your fault," he tried to reassure her.

"I know."

* * *

"This is Hershel," Rick said introducing Kaesta to the others. "This is his farm and he's been good to us letting us stay here. We're his guests." Hershel nodded politely to the young woman. "This is Maggie, Hershel's daughter. Beth is inside. She's not feeling well enough to come out," he explained. "Jimmy here is Beth's boyfriend, and Patricia is a good friend of the Greene family."

"It's nice to meet you all," Kaesta smiled warmly.

Rick continued to bring the young woman around giving her both a tour or the farm and meeting people as they went. "This is my wife Lori, and my son Carl," Rick beamed at his boy. Kaesta smiled at the child and offered her hand, "It's nice to meet you Carl. I'm Kaesta."

"That's a funny name," he commented scrunching up his face. Kaesta chuckled.

"Carol!" Rick called over to her as she was passing by. "You mind coming over here a second, I'm introducing Kaesta to everyone. She's going to be staying with us on the farm."

Carol stopped and walked over. "We've already met," she reminded him as she approached.

A pang of remorse struck Kaesta as she saw the other woman again. "I'm sorry," Kaesta said to her. Carol looked her over but didn't respond. "I used you, I took advantage of your kindness and manipulated you to try and escape. I'm sorry for that."

Taken aback Carol nodded in acknowledgement. "It's okay."

"Up on top of the RV there is Dale," Rick pointed. Dale looked down and waved, a friendly smile on his face. Kaesta smiled back.

"Glenn here is our resident go-to-town guy. He's quick and he's smart." Glenn blushed and waved shyly to Kaesta.

"Andrea is over by the barn keeping an eye on Randall at the moment," he paused uncomfortably, "I'm sure you'll meet her later. Shane you already know. He's gone to do a perimeter check of the farm, and Daryl's out hunting."

Kaesta nodded. "So many names to try and remember," she commented. "I hope no one is offended if it takes me a few days to get them all straightened out."

Rick knew it was a lot for the young woman to be taking in. "Somewhere around here is T-Dog, but I have no idea where he's gone off to."

Kaesta glanced around the farm. Everything was so peaceful. It would be easy here to forget about the Walkers. It would be easy to forget that most everyone was dead and that there was no sign of an end to this madness in sight.

"We've been lucky her so far," Rick went on to explain. "The swamps provide a sort of protective barrier. Not too many of the Walkers get through." Kaesta thought back to her own trip through the swamp. It was a hazardous place. "Still need to be careful though," Rick warned. "It's best to stick close to the farm, especially at night. We've always got someone on lookout," He glanced back to Dale, "just in case."

They had a nice little set up here, Kaesta thought. Fate definitely was taking a turn for the better.

Maggie came out of the farmhouse walking towards them with a bundle in her arms. "Here," she said, handing it over to Kaesta. "I thought you could use them." It was clean clothes and a pair of boots. Depositing them in Kaesta's hands she turned to walk away.

"Thank you," Kaesta called out after her.

"They're Beth's," Maggie told her turning back around. "Figure she's the closest to your size."

"Tell your sister I say thanks. It means a lot. It's very kind."

Maggie gave a quick nod her lips forming a thin tight line. "I will."

Kaesta picked up on Maggie's tension and wondered about her sister. She didn't know what had happened, just that Beth wasn't well.

As they continued Rick noticed Kaesta's limp. "Come on," he said to her, "We should get you back to Hershel, he can take a look at your feet. You'll probably need some antibiotics."

"They're not that bad," Kaesta dismissed his concern. "I'll take care of them."

"An infection out here now a days can be serious, even fatal," Rick warned.

Kaesta just shook her head. She held up the clothes Maggie had given her. "Mind if I go get cleaned up?"

"Go right ahead."

Daryl returned from his hunt. Sweat plastered his sleeveless shirt to his back and chest. His hair was matted to his forehead. Unslinging his crossbow from his shoulder he hung it up next to his tent. He tossed his catch of squirrels over the clothes line and headed into the farm to see how things were going. Daryl scanned the area. Everyone was busy with their normal business. Catching up to Rick he asked, "Where's the girl?"

Rick swung around, "I don't know. She went to go get cleaned up."

Dale called down from his perch on top of the RV. "I think I saw her heading towards the creek."

Daryl swore profusely. Damn woman was careless always heading off into the woods. She was going to get herself killed. "I'll go check on 'er," he offered.

It wasn't hard to follow her tracks. Just as Dale had suspected she'd headed straight for the creek. When Daryl spotted her he stopped. She was sitting on a rock at the edge of the creek wearing just her bra and panties. Her hair was wet and dark, starting to curl into ringlets. He frowned. Too many bones were poking up from under her skin and he could see the yellowing of old bruises. He hung back, his crossbow drawn watching for Walkers.

Kaesta reached down scooping some sand from the bottom of the creek. She gently ran it over her skin. The abrasiveness peeled away the blood and grime that had been caked on in layers. It felt good rinsing it all away with the cold fresh water from the creek. She was methodical, stopping every couple of minutes to visually scan the area for any roaming Walkers.

Daryl stepped back behind a tree hoping she hadn't spotted him. He peeked out, if she had she gave no indication. He maintained his guard.

Dismay spread across her face as Kaesta examined her arms. They were like sticks. She wrapped her thumb and index finger around her wrist. They overlapped. It was no good. She frowned realizing how badly she needed to gain some weight. Right now she knew her body was compromised, her immune system weakened and her stamina depleted. In a world where survival depended on her being fit, able to run and fight back, it was critical.

Kaesta paid special attention to her feet. Cleaning away all the blood, dirt and pus. Rick was right about the risks of infection out here. She examined them closely for any red streaking indicating that infection had spread to her blood. There was none. That was a good sign. She sat, letting her feet air dry before putting on the socks se'd been given and getting dressed.

As Kaesta finished up and started making her way back Daryl too turned and quietly returned to the farm. She didn't need him to protect her, she'd find a way to prove that to him, she thought but said nothing.

Kaesta emerged from the woods and she was hardly recognizable. "Wow," Carol gasped in amazement. "You look so different!" She smiled and the Kaesta smiled back.

"Thanks Carol. It sure feels good to be out of those dirty clothes and all washed up."

"You're more than welcome to use the facilities here," Hershel commented. "We have a well and it's safer than wandering around by yourself in the woods."

"Thanks Hershel, I'll remember that."

Kaesta stretched and wandered over to Daryl's tent. He was sitting on a log skinning squirrels. He jabbed his knife into the belly of one, splitting it open and got to work. He glanced up. Her hair was in two short braids on either side of her head coming down just behind her ears. There was no trace of the ringlets he'd seen at the creek.

Without a word Kaesta sat down on a stump across from him, picking up a squirrel and a spare knife he had stuck into the stump. She ran the knife from one back foot, down the critter's hind leg and across to the other foot. With her thumb and forefinger she worked the meaty part of the legs free then cut the hind feet and tail off. Grabbing the hide she peeled. It up to the front legs, working them free like she had with the back ones. Again she cut the feet off at the joint so not to dull the knife too much.

Daryl was watching her wordlessly. She was cute with her braids sitting there in her jeans and t-shirt.

Once Kaesta had worked the hide up over the head she gave a sharp twist breaking the neck so she could more easily sever the head. Now she was sitting with the skinned carcass of a squirrel. Carefully she slid the knife into the abdominal cavity opening it up. Without so much as a seconds hesitation she reached her hand in and pulled out it's guts, casually discarding them to the side.

"Where'd ya learn to skin and clean a squirrel like that?" Daryl asked amazed.

Kaesta just shrugged and picked up another squirrel.


	8. Disappearing Act

**Chapter 8: Disappearing Act**

Kaesta was gone again. Keeping track of that girl was harder than keeping track of Carl. Last anyone had seen her she'd been skinning squirrels with Daryl. It was nearly supper time when she returned, casually walking out of the woods with a bundle of plants in her arms.

"Where you been?" Shane demanded, his tone scathing.

"Out," Kaesta replied with a half-hearted shrug.

Shane reached across and grabbed her roughly by the wrist. The bundle of plants she was carrying tumbled to the ground. "Look here," he snarled, "you may have everyone else here lulled into thinking you're not a threat, believing your sob story, but I still don't trust you." He was seething. "Now you're going to tell me, where have you been?"

Twisting her arm sharply against Shane's thumb she wrenched it free. "Out," she repeated her voice raised, glaring back at him. The muscles in her legs tensed, ready to run. Taking a couple jerky steps backwards, she scooped up her plants and turned to leave. As she made her way back to the others she quickened her pace. The encounter had her rattled.

Daryl was able to see the entire exchange from where he sat making more bolts for his crossbow. He didn't like the idea of Shane anywhere near Kaesta. He didn't trust him. As he watched he gripped the bolt he'd been working on so tightly he snapped it in half. Not until Kaesta was well away from him did he take his eyes off them. "Damnit," he muttered looking down at the broken bolt.

"What have you got there?" Carol asked as Kaesta deposited her bundle of plants on the ground.

"Herbs," Kaesta answered. "I gathered them out in the woods. Stuff I recognized from back home that I thought would be useful."

"Would you like a hand with them?" Carol offered no hint of lingering resentment in her voice.

Kaesta opened her mouth to decline, but thought better of it. She was so used to doing things for herself, but she didn't want to be rude. Besides, she liked Carol and it would give her a chance to spend some time with her. She still felt bad about having used her to get to Rick. "Sure. That would be great, actually." The two women sat side by side. "Most of them we can just trim then hang to dry," Kaesta explained. "Just remove any parts that looked damaged or bad."

"What's this?" Carol asked holding up a broad cluster of tiny pale flowers. "I've seen it all over the place before. I just thought it was a weed."

"That's yarrow," Kaesta told her. "It's just starting to come up. It pretty much is a weed, but a lot of weeds are useful."

"Where did you learn all this stuff?" Carol was intrigued.

Kaesta shrugged. "I don't know, I just picked it up over time. I like plants. There's something grounding about working with the earth. I used to have a big garden back home."

"I grew some flowers," Carol offered. "I never had much of a garden though. Ed thought it was a waste of time." Carol didn't talk much about her late husband. So far as Kaesta could remember this was the first time she'd volunteered anything about him.

The women sat and worked sorting and trimming plants. They got to chatting about their lives before the Walkers. "Carol, may I ask you something?" Kaesta quietly asked during a lull in the conversation. She was thinking back to the night she'd stumbled upon the farm.

"Sure hon, what is it?"

"You lost someone, besides Ed I mean. Someone close, didn't you?" There was a deep sympathy in the young woman's eyes.

"My Sophia," Carol replied, an aching in her eyes and in her heart. "My little girl. She ran away from some Walkers on the highway. We searched for her every day, but when we found her..." she found she couldn't continue.

Kaesta gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I am so sorry," Kaesta didn't know what else to say.

"She's in a better place now," Carol spoke, her faith unwavering. There was a comfort in such things.

Kaesta didn't believe in God or Heaven and Hell, but she wasn't about to take that away from the grieving mother. "Yes she is. She has nothing to be afraid of anymore. You'll see her again someday."

The two continued to work in silence for some time. Carol watched Kaesta busy crushing the root of some plant into a thick paste. "What's that for?" She asked, leaning in to get a better look.

"It's for my feet," Kaesta explained, "It'll help draw the infection out and kill any bacteria."

"That some sorta hippie shit or sumthin'?" Daryl drawled from behind the two women. Carol jumped at the unexpected sound so close behind them.

Kaesta twisted and looked over her shoulder. She hadn't heard the redneck approach. That man could be so quiet, likely something he picked up stalking game in the woods. There was an apologetic look on his face as he glanced at Carol.

"Something like that."

"Took you all damn day to pick an arm-full of weeds an' wha'not?" There was gravel in Daryl's voice as he shifted his attention back to Kaesta. He wanted to ask what else she'd been doing out there.

"I suppose so," her eyes narrowed wondering if Shane had put him up to this. Almost immediately she dismissed the possibility. She couldn't fathom Daryl doing Shane's bidding.

There was an edge to Daryl as he stalked away. Kaesta shrugged it off missing the sideways glance he gave her. He knew she'd been up to more than just picking some flowers and digging some roots.

Carol looked down unable to meet Kaesta's eyes. Her knuckles were white she was clutching the stem of a yarrow flower so tightly. "He startled me," she said apologetically, very aware that the girl had seen her nearly jump out of her skin. Kaesta reached over instinctively giving the older woman's shoulder a gentle, comforting squeeze and offering her a weak smile. She was filled with a loathing for Ed and found herself glad that a man she had never even met was dead.

* * *

Kaesta joined the other's in the farmhouse for dinner. Dale briefly stopped to say hello to everyone then took his plate of food back out to his perch on top of the RV. Daryl did not join them.

"Andrea!" Rick exclaimed.

The blonde finished scooping some food onto her plate then looked up at Rick. Before the police officer could introduce the two Andrea nodded at Kaesta extending her hand, "Hi, I'm Andrea."

"Nice to finally meet you," Kaesta replied politely. There was a look exchanged between Shane and Andrea. Kaesta shifted uneasily on her feet.

"Yo, I don't believe we've met yet either."

Kaesta turned towards the large man with the booming voice.

"It's Theodore, but everybody just calls me T-Dog," he informed her.

"T-Dog," she repeated, grinning.

Kaesta helped herself to some food, appreciative of the generosity of everyone around her. She plopped herself down in a chair next to Carol. She was the closest thing she had to a friend here and she found her motherly presence reassuring.

After a while Kaesta started to feel claustrophobic in the house. She smiled and kept up with the conversation at the table, nodding and laughing in all the appropriate places, but there was a suffocating tension building in her chest. The air felt thick and hot in her lungs and seemed to hang heavy around her. The way Shane kept eyeing her up made her all the more uneasy.

When the meal was finished she was relieved to get back outside and breathe the fresh air. She stretched out on her back on the deck and looked up at the stars. The night was clear and crisp. Kaesta couldn't help but think about how small they all really were in relation to the universe. A single cell in such a vast, complex being. But here, to each other they were everything.

"I talked to Hershel."

Kaesta rolled her head to see who was talking to her. It was Maggie. She waited for her to go on.

"He says it's alright if you join us in the house tonight."

Kaesta smiled, "Thank you." She didn't think she could spend a night trapped there with so many people. One on one she could handle them, but she didn't do well with crowds.

"I think I'm going to go stretch my legs a bit," Kaesta said standing, already feeling restless at the prospect of being confined in the house. She wandered aimlessly around the farm until she ended up back at Daryl's tent. He was sitting eating some roasted squirrel off a stick.

"Hey," Kaesta greeted him warmth filling her voice.

Daryl just grunted, his mouth full of meat. He seemed cold and distant.

"Maggie talked to her dad for me. Said it's ok if I stay with them in the house," she informed him.

He said nothing, just kept eating his meal as if she weren't even there.

"I'm not sure," Kaesta went on. "It's pretty crowded with everyone moved inside. I was wondering," she paused tentatively. "I was wondering if it'd be alright if I stayed out here with you."

Daryl stopped chewing and looked up. His muscles were so tense and rigid that Kaesta could make it out in the glistening light of the moon. "Hell no!" he exclaimed, anger contorting his face. "What'd I tell you. You go make yer own arrangements and leave me the hell alone."

Kaesta was speechless. His hostility had been unexpected. She stood there her jaw hanging open with no idea how to respond.

"What're you standin' around for?" Daryl shouted, his tone reminiscent of the night Kaesta had stumbled on the farm and overheard his exchange with Carol. "Go, leave me be." Still she didn't budge. "Git outta here," he growled, throwing his squirrel in her direction.

Kaesta stared dumbfounded at the stick of meat laying beside her feet. She didn't know where this outburst had come from. Dazed and hurt she turned to walk away, pausing long enough to stare Daryl straight in the eye. "You're a real ass, you know." Without another word from either of them she left his tent.

"Hey there Kaesta," Dale called down from his perch as she passed the RV. "A little late for a stroll, don't you think?"

"Hi Dale," she called back up to him. "Want some company?"

He waved her up and she was glad. Dale seemed like such a nice, friendly man. She pulled up another lawn chair and sat next to him keeping an eye out over the farm. It was relaxing up here. She could understand why it seemed to be his favorite place.

"Don't worry about Daryl," Dale said out of the blue. "You can't take it personally."

Kaesta opened her mouth but failed to find words at first. "It's hard to know how to act around him," she finally confessed. "He can be so unpredictable."

"You think he's bad now," Dale explained, "you should have seen him when Merle was still around."

"Merle?" Kaesta repeated questioningly. She hadn't heard the name mentioned before.

"His older brother," Dale explained. "He was a real prick. A real redneck. He was a racist and a sexist pig. He made everyone around the camp uncomfortable. I doubt anyone misses him except for Daryl."

"I didn't know he had a brother," Kaesta admitted, realizing that she didn't really know anything about the one person she seemed to trust the most. "What happened to Merle?"

Dale went on to explain what had happened on the rooftop in Atlanta. Kaesta stared horrified. "I know how it sounds," he went on seeing the look on her face. "Merle left them no choice though."

"Jesus..." she breathed, "remind me not to cross Rick." Dale looked at her uncertain if she was serious or not. She laughed and smiled reassuringly. Dale visibly relaxed. He hadn't meant to make them sound like monsters.

Kaesta asked Dale questions about the group before they'd come to the farm. He told her about the camp outside Atlanta and what happened at the CDC. He told her about the search for Sophia and about how Carl had been shot. That's how they ended up on the farm.

"You've all been through a lot together," Kaesta commented thoughtfully.

"I suppose we have," Dale chuckled.

Hours passed. Much of it was spent in quiet contemplation just watching the perimeter for movement. "Dale?" Kaesta looked over to him after one such long period of quiet.

"What is it?"

Kaesta was going to ask if she could crash in the RV for the night but decided against it. She didn't want to impose and she was a little leery after how Daryl had reacted. "Nothing, never mind."

Dale studied her face. "There's a spare bed and lots of extra blankets."

Her eyes widened at his ability to read her. "Thanks," she mumbled. "How did you know?"

"You've been avoiding that house like the plague," the old man observed. "I was surprised you lasted through dinner. Besides, I overheard you ask Daryl. Don't worry, he'll come around."

Kaesta flushed, embarrassed. Dale just grinned from under his hat.


	9. Sneaking Around

**Notes: Trying to get back on track with the timeline from the TV series here. I have some vague ideas, but I'm not entirely sure where I want to go with this. Would love to hear from you guys :) In the mean time I started another Fan Fic taking place in Season 1, called Life As We Know It, check it out and let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 9: Sneaking Around**

The sun wasn't even up yet. Kaesta finished lacing up her boots. She tucked her hunting knife, which Rick had returned to her, into her jeans. Across the RV Dale was snoring. Andrea was sound asleep on the other bunk. Careful not to wake them she snuck out the door.

Daryl heard the soft thud of the RV door closing. He poked his head out of the tent in time to see Kaesta disappear into the woods. He pulled a sleeveless shirt over his head and slipped into a pair of jeans. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder he set off after her.

That girl was on a mission, working her way through the woods with ease and efficiency. Daryl had his work set out trying to keep up with her without being spotted. By the time he reached the top of the ridge in the soft glow of dawn he was just able to make out her tiny figure disappearing behind a boulder. Perching himself where he had a good view he stopped and waited for her to reappear.

He waited and waited. Half an hour passed. "What the hell?" he muttered under his breath. There was a small blind spot, but it was totally in a different direction than she'd been heading. Losing patience he decided to move in and follow her tracks. She had to have slipped by out of sight.

"Was wondering how long it was going to take you to come around." Kaesta sat leaning back against the cool rock.

Daryl raised his crossbow in surprise. Kaesta stared straight down it at him ready to lock horns. He held it a second longer, scowling at her then lowered it.

"Why are you following me?" The young woman demanded.

"Why you keep sneakin' off away from the farm? Ain't no way yer jus' pickin' flowers ya fuckin' hippie," the redneck retorted. Kaesta burst into laughter. "The hell is so funny?"

A warm smile spread across her face. "Is this why you've been being such an ass toward me?" She was finally putting the pieces together.

He shifted his weight, fidgeting with his crossbow. He didn't know. It was part of it. He didn't take well to being lied to as he saw it. But it was more than that. He liked her, as much as he wished he didn't. Besides the way she was always taking off she would be Walker bait soon enough. Best not get attached.

Kaesta was tired of the suspicious looks and the sideways glances. She missed the Daryl she'd first got to know. Up until now she had just wanted to be able to do her own thing without anyone prying. She wasn't used to having anyone to answer to. It had been just her and Jake for so long she was having trouble adjusting.

"Why didn't you just ask?"

"I did!"

"No you didn't. You made snide and accusatory remarks. It's not the same thing."

Daryl exhaled sharply. "The hell you doin' then? Wha's so 'mportant's worth it t'risk gettin' attacked by a Walker out here fo'?" The more worked up he got the more his southern accent came out.

"You come out here all the time," Kaesta glowered. She wasn't helpless. She could take care of herself in the woods.

"Tha's different," Daryl moaned. "Ima hunter. I know what I'm doin' out here. Ain't 'fraid no Walkers."

"Come on," Kaesta stood up, "I'll show you." Daryl looked her up and down skeptically but decided to follow her.

"Wasted the whole morning leading you around," Kaesta grumbled. Daryl faltered a second in his gait, surprised she'd known the whole time he was tracking her.

The two walked together in silence. Kaesta was perfectly happy with the quiet, not feeling the need for chatter. There was something different about her out here, Daryl noticed. She was so at ease, so confident, so full of purpose.

It was going to be a warm day. Not a cloud in the sky, the birds chirping as they searched the soft ground for worms. It could be any day before the end of the world out in the woods, Kaesta thought.

"There," Kaesta gestured ahead just off the trail. Daryl followed her finger as she pointed. His eyes widened and a smirk spread across his face.

"Well, I'll be damned," he moved forward to examine Kaesta's handiwork.

Four squirrels were dangling from a pole tied between two trees. Kaesta quietly moved in and one by one removed the snares from their necks handing the critters to Daryl. Normally she would have replaced the snares with brand new wire, but given that their resources were scarce she did the best she could to straighten them out and reset them.

"Why the hell didn't ya jus' say this was what ya were up to?"

"I'm not some useless little girl that needs babysitting," she said so quietly he barely heard her. "I needed to prove that."

"I neva' said ya was!" Daryl exclaimed defensively.

"You didn't have to say it," Kaesta turned to him, her dark brown eyes filled with sadness. "None of you had to actually come out and say it."

He'd misjudged her. She wasn't Walker bait.

"I didn't stay because I needed to," she went on, spilling her heart, "I stayed because I wanted something more than just this." She looked the redneck hunter in the eyes.

Daryl said nothing, but looked away uncomfortably. He understood too well what she meant.

"So uh," Daryl scrunched up his face as he finally turned back to her, "jus' what exactly did ya do before the Walkers an' all?"

"Real estate," she grinned.

Daryl made a noise something like a laugh. "Nah, come on now, seriously, what'd ya do?"

"Really," Kaesta insisted her grin spreading from ear to ear, "I was in real estate." he stared at her in disbelief. She laughed light-heartedly and shrugged, "market was slow in the winter. I picked this up as a sort of hobby."

"Who woulda thought. You got some interestin' hobbies ya hippie."

"I'm not a fucking hippie! I got a few more sets to check. You coming?" Her invitation was an offer a friendship, a gesture to put the rest behind them and move on.

"Hell ya I'm comin'"

* * *

"You're gonna kill him?" Dale asked indignantly.

"You heard what Daryl said the other day. I've thought it over, it seems the only thing we can do," Rick replied.

"You can't just kill the boy because you can't think of anything better to do with him!" Dale exclaimed.

"He's dangerous, Dale. That group of his, they're not good people"

"How are we any better? That's a human being in there. So far he's been tortured, now you want to execute him? I can't believe this!"

"It's not just me, Dale," Rick said defensively.

"What? Just because no one has come out and said they disagree doesn't mean they all believe killing him is the best option. You haven't even asked them their opinions," Dale continued to fight for the boys life, but even more so for their humanity.

"What do you think Dale," Shane cut in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Shall we hold a vote, see what everyone thinks." He slid his head to the side a sly smile creeping in at the corners of his mouth.

Ignoring Shane's sarcasm Dale agreed, "Yes, I think we should at least give everyone a chance to weigh in on this. It's a boy's life for Christ's sake!"

"Fine," Rick relented. "We'll reconvene at sunset, you have until then to talk to everyone."

* * *

"Hey, it's Daryl and Kaesta. They're back!" Andrea hollered from on top of the RV. She hopped down to greet the two of them.

Lori and Glenn who were nearby crowded in to see what Daryl had returned with for supper, praying it wouldn't be squirrel again. At least being on the Greene family farm there was more variety in their diets but they still saw a lot of squirrel stew.

"Wow, nice catch today Daryl," Glenn stared wide eyed at the string of squirrels Kaesta had looped around her shoulders and a few larger creatures Daryl was carrying. The Asian city boy looked at the less familiar critters, "Uh, what else you got there?" Was that some sort of wild cat? Too big to be a house cat, but it had some pretty cool spots.

"Ain't all mine," Daryl admitted dropping the bounty at the onlookers feet. Holy crap, that was a cat!

"Looks like we got another hunter in the group," Andrea said looking at Kaesta approval etched in her features.

"Not quite. I'm not much of a hunter without Jake. I'm lost without him."

Confusion spread across their faces.

"Who woulda thought, we got us a genuine trappa'," Daryl drawled. "An' a decent one at that." he turned and smirked at Kaesta. Stalking through the woods together, though they barely talked, seemed to have washed away any bad feelings between them.

"So uh..." Glenn's eyes were still glued to the medium sized feline splayed on the ground in front of him.

"Bobcat," Kaesta answered. "We're in for a treat, some of the best meat around cat is. Got a couple coons too, they're not bad eating either."

"Maybe we should ask the Chinaman, tha' true Glenn? You eat cat an' dog where yer from?"

Glenn rolled his eyes at the ongoing joke. "Ya man, didn't you know everyone from Michigan eats cat." He paused before adding, "and I'm Korean," knowing full well Daryl already knew this, being the billionth time they'd had this conversation.

Carl came running over. "Oh cool! Can I see? I've never seen a bobcat before!" he was down on his hands and knees examining the feline, prying back it's lips to look at it's teeth. "Wow, look at those teeth! They sure look sharp." Kaesta grinned from ear to ear watching the young boy.

"Shall we get to skinning and cleaning these then?" Kaesta asked turning to Daryl, testing the waters between them now that they were out of the woods. She never knew what to expect with him. Sometimes he was great, other times he was such a jerk. He gave a short nod. The two of them scooped up their haul and set up outside Daryl's tent away from the rest of the group.

The two of them worked in silence for a long time processing the day's catch. Every now and then Kaesta would sneak a glance at the hunter sitting across from her. He wasn't ugly and vile as her first impression had been. He was a little rough around the edges, but there was a certain charm and appeal to his backwoods style. And those eyes! Those piercing blue eyes that could either make her forget the rest of the world existed or cut her down where she stood. Unconsciously she shook her head. Daryl Dixon was not a man she wanted to crush on.

"Huh?" Daryl looked up catching the movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, nothing," Kaesta murmured. "Just bugs. Mosquitos or something."

"Right, 'course," Daryl sawed open the belly of one of the raccoons. "Heh, this guy was eatin' good, lookit all tha' fat on 'im!" He held the carcass up for her to see. It was easy to forget that Kaesta wasn't just one of the guys. Daryl had never met a woman quite like her. She wasn't squeamish in the least and she never hesitated to reach right in and get her hands dirty. Yet she cared about people, she had that feminine compassion.

Kaesta glanced over, "Sure was, eh." She continued her careful work on the bobcat. She wanted to save the hide to make a hat or something for Carl. It'd been so adorable watching his fascination with the feline. "I'll need to find a board to stretch this on to dry," she mused running her fingers through the cat's silky hair.

Every now and then her warm smile, or a flick of her braids back over her shoulder would catch him off guard. She was the last thing he needed in his life, he reminded himself, but her friendship seemed genuine. There was no expectation, she just seemed to like spending time with him, and that was nice. It was different.

"Who was Jake?" Daryl asked out of the blue. "Ya said ya was no good huntin' without 'im. Neva 'eard ya mention 'im 'fore."

Kaesta stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Jake was my dog."

"Uhuh."

"He was also my best friend." And all I had left in this world, Kaesta thought silently to herself.

"Walker git 'im?" Daryl immediately made the same assumption Carol had.

"No."

"What happened to 'im then?" Daryl asked. Kaesta was silent. "Don' tell me ya ate 'im," Daryl joked trying to break the tension that had suddenly built up. Tears welled in Kaesta's eyes. Shit. Daryl turned his head slightly drawing away a bit.

"The hell Kaesta, yer a good trapper, ya couldn'ta needed food tha' bad," Daryl's lack of tact pushed her further and she let out a sharp sob. Uhg, definitely not one of the guys. Dixon's didn't manage crying women well. "Aww shit, Kaesta. I'm sorry." That was the first time she'd heard anything remotely like an apology escape his lips.

"I... didn't... eat... him," she choked out between sobs.

What the fuck, then? "Kaesta?"

"I'm sorry," she blubbered trying to wipe the snot and tears away from her face.

"Kaesta?"

Tearfully Kaesta told Daryl what happened. She'd seen two of the men wrestling to get a hold of Jake when Vincent shoved her into the storage container. A few days later when they'd returned they'd served him up on a plate, his collar to the side like garnish. She told him how they'd laughed, saying she'd eat him when she got hungry enough. That was her best friend, there was no way.

Daryl didn't know what to say, so he sat chewing his bottom lip. No wonder the girl was so damn skinny.

**Note: Okay, yes I know the thing with Jake was a little over the top. But I wanted it to be. I tried to think of the most horrible possible thing I could imagine. Kaesta's supposed to be hurting a lot more than she's letting on.**


	10. The Dilemma

**Notes: I'm sorry for the wait. I had been busy working on my other fan fic (Life as we know it) as I hadn't felt inspired to work with this one and was having a bit of a block. Thanks as always for the reviews, I love getting them :)**

**Chapter 10: The Dilemma**

It had been a tiring morning, both physically and emotionally. Rest was a luxury they could hardly afford, but Kaesta figured just this once she earned it. In the cool shade by Daryl's tent she stretched out on her back in the sun, staring up at the tree tops. It could be any day from before the end of the world. She hardly thought of the Walkers. In fact, it seemed no one did. Everyone was settling in on the Greene family farm.

Faintly she could hear someone approaching. She rolled her head so she could hear better. It wasn't the dragging footsteps of a Walker, so she returned to staring up at the branches looming overhead, listening to the breeze rustling through and the birds singing.

The tranquility was soon broken. From around the corner Daryl heaved a sigh. "Th' whole point uh me comin' up here's t' get away from you people," he grumbled, bent over fiddling with his crossbow and arranging his bolts.

"It'll take more than that." The footsteps she'd heard belonged to Dale.

"Carol send you?"

"Carol's not the only one who's concerned about you..." Dale's voice trailed off. "Your new role in the group." Kaesta grimaced. Having heard Randall's pleas as Daryl beat him, tortured him, she knew too well what the old man meant.

"I don't need my head shrunk," Daryl dismissed Dale's concerns easily. "This group's broken," he asserted. "I'm better off fendin' for myself."

"You act like you don't care."

"Ya, tha's cause I don't" Daryl grabbed his leather jacket that was hanging on a tree branch and put it on. Kaesta didn't believe his words for a second. If anything, he cared too much too admit.

"So live or die you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale prodded looking for an opening.

"Nope."

"Then stand with me try to save the kid's life," he pleaded. " If it really doesn't matter one way or the other."

"I didn't peg you for a desperate Sonofabitch."

Dale wasn't ready to give up. "Your opinion makes a difference."

Daryl picked up his crossbow and slung it over his shoulder. "Ain't nobody lookin' t' me for nothin'."

"Carol does, and I am right now," Dale paused. "Kaesta does," he added quietly. She wondered if her feelings were that obvious, that easy to read.

"Tha' girl don' need me."

Dale frowned. Maybe she didn't need him in the physical sense of the word. She could trap, had a solid knowledge of wild plants and herbs, and could take care of herself in the wilderness, but it was more than that. "She does. More than either of you probably realize," Dale told him. "She trusts you, and with everything she's been through that's got to mean something."

Daryl shook his head. "Whatever old man."

"And obviously you have Rick's ear," Dale stuck in.

Daryl advanced several angry steps towards Dale. When he spoke he practically spat the words, "Rick jus' looks t' Shane." He paused, glowering, then added, "Let 'im."

The two men went back and forth this way for a while.

"Torturing people? That's not you. You're a decent man. So is Rick," Dale insisted, then something in his voice changed. "Shane is different." Kaesta frowned, having sensed as much herself. Starting to feel guilty about listening in on the men's conversation she got up to leave.

Then she heard Daryl's voice again. "Why's that? Cause he killed Otis?" What he said stopped her dead in her tracks. She swallowed hard. She was leery of Shane, but perhaps she hadn't been enough so. Listening to Daryl relate his take on events and the holes in Shane's story gave her chills.

"Rick ain't stupid" Daryl shook his head. "If he didn't figure that out, it's cause he didn't wanna." he turned and walked away, reiterating his earlier sentiment, "It's like I said, this group's broken."

Dale stood there nothing more to say as Daryl disappeared. His suspicions about Shane formed a rock in the pit of his stomach. Everything Daryl had said made sense. He looked to the ground.

Daryl rounded the corner of the tent where Kaesta was standing motionless, dumbfounded by what she had heard. "Make a habit of eavesdroppin'?" Daryl snarled at her as he passed. He didn't give her a chance to respond, he was simply gone.

Once he was well away Kaesta let out a long sigh. Caring about Daryl Dixon was like a roller coaster ride, bu5 she tried her best not to take his jabs personally and just let them go. Even so the farm was starting to feel suffocating to her again. With the upcoming meeting to decide Randall's fate and everything she'd just heard she needed to get some space to clear her head.

Grabbing her hunting knife, Kaesta headed along the bank of the stream into the bush. The fresh air was good. It lifted her spirits and helped quiet her mind. So like her to disappear into the woods to deal with stress. Walkers didn't change that. The end of the world didn't change that. It was still the most peaceful place to be where she felt connected to the universe.

Hearing a rustling up ahead Kaesta drew her knife and crouched down. Quietly she stalked forwards to see what was there. A walker. The sight of it surprised her, the farm had seemed so safe, so distant from all the madness. Having picked up on the young woman's scent it stumbled along towards where she was lurking in the underbrush waiting to pounce.

Her eyes were glued to the approaching abomination, knife drawn and ready. Five more yards and it would be in reach. Kaesta was so intent on her prey she didn't hear anything until it was almost too late. A branch snapped behind her and wheeled around. Two more walkers extended their bony arms reaching for her and grasping the fabric of her shirt.

Letting out a strangled cry she dove to the side and out of their grasp. Three was too many to take in close quarters. Her best chance would be to try and separate them so she could eliminate them one by one. The good thing about Walkers was that they weren't very fast, or very smart.

One was moving faster than the other two. It was easy pickings. As soon as it had a clear lead on the others Kaesta stabbed it through the eye socket with her knife. Two to go. She made a dash down a bank hoping one of them would stumble and it would split them up. They weren't the most graceful of creatures.

Her plan backfired however when it was her that stumbled. As she hit the bottom she felt a searing pain in her left ankle. Instinctively she reached for it, but seeing the advancing Walkers she knew it would have to wait. Kaesta grabbed the trunk of a nearby tree to help herself to her feet. As soon as she put weight on her injured ankle and tried to run it gave out and she fell to the ground. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her heart pounded in her chest.

Again Kaesta rose to her feet and tried to run, and again her ankle wouldn't support her and she fell. Squeezing her eyes shut she expected to see her life flash before her. After all, that was what was supposed to happen right before you died. It didn't.

Kaesta opened her eyes. The two remaining Walkers were practically on top of her. The first one bent down and tried to take a chomp out of her shoulder. She dispatched it easily enough with her hunting knife. As it's weight fell on her the other one was already on top of it and trying to reach past it to get to her warm, living flesh.

Kaesta pushed with all her might but couldn't lift both Walkers off of her. She cursed her weakened body. It hadn't had enough time to recover since she had escaped from Randall's group. As she tried reaching around to stab the last remaining Walker she nearly had a piece taken out of her arm by it's gnashing teeth.

Desperately she flung her head from side to side looking for anything she could possibly use to her advantage. Straining she could just reach a thick branch that was laying on the forest floor with the tips of her fingers. Bringing it up she hit the clawing, chomping monstrosity above her repeatedly until she knocked it off. With the weight pinning her cut in half she was able to get free. Without a thought she lunged at the creature sliding her knife in and upwards from the base of it's skull. The corpse went limp and stopped it's frenzied assault.

Kaesta rolled herself to a nearby log where she was able to prop herself up and try to catch her breath. Gently she prodded at her injured ankle. It didn't appear to be broken. More than likely it was just badly sprained. She'd better hope that's all it was. As much as she wanted to remove her boot and take a look she thought better of it. Her boots were done up tightly and it would help compress her ankle and prevent further swelling.

It was a long time that Kaesta sat leaning against that log. The afternoon sun faded to the dying glow of evening and the warm air chilled. She was shaking. She had nearly died. Since she had arrived at the farm she couldn't recall seeing a single Walker. That made her wonder where three suddenly came from. She needed to get back to warn Rick.

Still shaking Kaesta forced herself to stand. Gingerly she tested her ankle. It hurt, but it would hold weight. The sun wasn't entirely down, but in the bush it got dark fast. As hurriedly as she was able she made her way back towards the farm. Everyone was still in the farmhouse. Discussing Randall's fate, no doubt. She wanted no part of it. She was trying to move on.

Several minutes later Dale stormed out of the farmhouse. He didn't look happy. Obviously things had not gone his way. As much as she hated to admit it she felt relieved. Once people started to mill about Kaesta got up and hobbled over to find Rick.

"Kaesta!" Lori gasped. "You're hurt! what happened?"

"I'm fine." The young woman tried to smile. "It's just a sprained ankle."

Lori frowned and her eyebrows creased. "Hon, we need to get you to see Hershel."

"Really Lori, it's no big deal. I must have sprained my ankle a dozen times," Kaesta exaggerated. "If it's not starting to feel a little better in the morning, I promise I'll have Hershel take a look at it, alright?"

Lori looked skeptical, but didn't push any further. "Alright."

"Where's Rick?" Kaesta asked as nonchalantly as she could. She didn't want to alarm the masses.

"He's gone to the barn to get Randall," Lori admitted. Behind her hard mask Kaesta could see both relief and guilt in the woman's eyes.

"Thank you Lori." Kaesta turned and hobbled towards the barn. Rick and Shane were standing around discussing something while Daryl went to fetch the prisoner from the barn. Dread filled her. Being near Shane made her uneasy and she would have preferred to talk to Rick alone.

"Rick!" Kaesta called out as she approached.

Rick turned, "Kaesta!" He looked surprised. "What are you doing here?" She knew he meant by the barn - the barn where she too had been kept a prisoner, the barn where Randall was waiting for his executioners.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Look, the Randall thing is decided," Shane cut in. Kaesta grimaced at the sound of his voice. "What's done is done."

Randall had said Shane was going to kill her. She remembered how roughly he had grabbed her demanding where she'd been, shuddered at the way he kept his eye on her. After over hearing Dale's conversation with Daryl she had no doubt he had it in him. He was biding his time. Shane didn't trust her and to him that made her the enemy.

"Actually, that's not what I came here to talk about," she said keeping her eyes firmly on Rick.

Rick sighed. "Well, can it wait? We're kinda in the middle of something here."

Kaesta shook her head. "I think this is important."

"Ok," Rick was trying hard to maintain his cool demeanor.

With both men staring at her like she was some annoying little brat that was just getting in their way, Kaesta started to doubt the importance of her discovery. "I was, uh..."

Shane rolled his eyes and huffed dramatically leaving no doubt of his impatience.

"I was out in the woods," Kaesta stated, doing her best to focus on Rick and block Shane out. "I ran into three Walkers."

The color immediately drained from Rick's face. "Are you bit?" He demanded his voice full of concern mixed with a hint of panic.

"No, no. I'm fine," the young woman insisted.

"Your leg?" Rick questioned having seen her limp on the way over and trying to connect the dots.

Kaesta shook her head. "Just a fall. Sprained my ankle. It'll be fine."

"Well, if you're not seriously hurt, I don't see what's so important you got to pick right this moment to talk to us. Can't you see we got more important things to be dealing with?" Shane tilted his head towards the barn where they were keeping Randall.

"It's just that, well, I spend a lot of time out in the woods and I haven't run into any Walkers near the farm before now," Kaesta explained. The look on Shane's face clearly spelled out that he wasn't getting it. Rick looked attentive, but unsure. Kaesta decided to elaborate, "It's just odd that I would run into three today. One I could see, but three? I think we should..."

"Look here, it doesn't matter what you think. You've been here what," Shane rubbed a hand over his bald head, "a few days? We got along just fine before you came. I think we know what we're doing and don't need some..."

"That's enough, Shane." Rick cut him off and shooting him a look of warning. Shane's eyes narrowed and he glared right back. "Look, Kaesta, thanks for bringing this to my attention, but I think Shane is right about one thing. Right now we have more important things to be dealing with. A couple of stray Walkers out in the wilderness, while reason to be cautious, is nothing to panic over." With that, Rick dismissed her.

Annoyed at being blown off Kaesta stormed over to Daryl's tent. She had hoped that bringing back the food she had trapped would have earned her some respect and to be taken seriously. Kaesta curled herself up on the cool ground and waited for the execution to be carried out. Time passed but no shot was fired. After what felt an eternity Daryl returned. He looked pissed.

"What happened?" Kaesta wondered.

"Tell ya wha' happened," Daryl spat angrily. "Tha' dumbass kid uh Rick an' Lori's showed up. Wanted t' watch. Rick couldn' follow through wit it."

Kaesta frowned. This new world was a messed up place for a young boy to be growing up. She worried about Carl.

Daryl was rummaging through the pack on Merle's motorcycle. "Ya seen mah gun?" he asked her, a slight hint of accusation in his voice. Kaesta shook her head. "Hey, I asked ya sumthin'," he snapped.

Realizing that Daryl wasn't looking at her and couldn't see her gestures she verbalized, "No, I haven't seen it."

Daryl eyed her suspiciously then let it drop. He pulled something else out of the bag and turned to leave.

"What's that?" Kaesta asked. It looked like he'd grabbed his hunting knife but she hadn't got a good enough glimpse to be sure.

"Nothin'"

Air expelled itself from Kaesta's lungs and she deflated. "What are you planning to do?" She had a sick feeling she knew the answer already.

"What needs t' be done."

Kaesta desperately wanted to reach out and say something to him. She could see the burden he carried was heavy on his shoulders. "Daryl..." she called out.

"Wha'?" he growled.

The young woman spoke softly, "You don't need to do this."

Daryl merely grunted in response. He did need to do it. It couldn't always be Rick.


	11. Restless

**Notes: Thank you for the reviews, as always, I love getting them. Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I got a little wrapped up in the other one I'm working on.**

**burnedmybuns: It's funny that you mentioned it. I was actually sitting on my ipad working on an update for this when I got the email notifying me of your review. The timing was priceless. I wont forget about this story, I promise :)**

**Chapter 11: Restless**

Dale was dead. It was hard for any of them to believe. The old, happy-go-lucky man had been a fixture in their group since they first met on the highway and decided to set up camp outside of Atlanta. He'd been through thick and thin with them, and despite their frequent differences of opinion, he'd stayed. Their pillar for morality and ethics. Their voice of reason. Now he was gone.

Many of the group members had headed out to exact their revenge on the mindless corpses roaming about. They vented their hurt and fury on the creatures' sad and already broken bodies with whatever they had available: shovels, axes, lengths of pipe. It was cathartic. It was primal. It would never be enough to express the loss they felt.

Others chose to learn from previous mistakes. Too long they had sat on this farm, isolated from the horrors going on around them. Too long had they felt safe and secure. That false sense of security had caused them to become lax, undisciplined and careless. Well, no more. They had lost Dale, but his death would not be for nothing. They would learn. They would build guard towers, fortify the fences, and ensure there was always someone on watch.

While most everyone was out and about dealing with Dale's death in the only way that made sense to them, Kaesta sat quietly on the front porch of the farmhouse. They were no longer camping in Hershel's front yard. It was too dangerous. Their host realized that now and had invited them to stay with his family inside.

The front door creaked open and Hershel walked out onto the porch. He came to a stop standing next to where the young woman was sitting. "How's that ankle?" he asked her. The concern in his voice was unmistakable.

"A little better," Kaesta told him. "It'll be okay."

"You're keeping off of it, I hope."

"Trying to," she replied, smiling sheepishly from behind the curtain of dark brown ringlets. Since she was relegated to hanging out at the farm there was no reason to keep it done up. She only braided it to keep it out of her way in the bush.

The swelling on her ankle had subsided some, but walking was still proving difficult. It was hard for her, as restless as she was to rest it, but she was doing her best to stay off of it. Even if that meant sitting around doing nothing while everyone else was out fortifying and securing the perimeter. She felt useless, but if she exasperated her injury she'd be even more useless. And who's to know when she might need to run. If anything, the last day had taught her that there's no such thing as safe after the world ends.

"So you were a doctor before all of this," Kaesta gestured broadly with her hands, "started happening?"

"No," Hershel said thoughtfully. "Not exactly. I was a veterinarian."

"Oh," Kaesta replied, sounding surprised.

"Farm animals, mostly," he explained. "Although the odd neighbor brought by their pet cat or dog from time to time."

Kaesta listened intently, her head tilted slightly to the side. "I it's not much different. People are just animals too," she reasoned.

"Some might say that," Hershel responded.

"But not you?" Kaesta wondered.

Hershel shook his head. "God made man in his image," he told her. Of course, Hershel was a religious man. Kaesta was a spiritual person, but she didn't believe in God. She smiled and nodded politely. Hershel picked up on it right away. "You don't believe in God?" he asked her.

"No," Kaesta replied simply.

Looking around Hershel said, "Who can blame you. With everything that's happened, I can see why people would turn away from their faith."

So could she, but Kaesta had never believed in God. At least not in the sense that most people believed in God. She believed in the universe as an entity, a whole of which everything was just a part. The whole, which is not just a sum of its parts, but also something else entirely. Perhaps that was God.

"I never turned away from my faith," Kaesta assured him. "It's just that I've never believed."

Hershel was not about to judge the young woman. "To each their own," he said before wandering back into the house.

Kaesta remained on the porch, her thoughts kept coming back to Dale. It wasn't the same for her, she'd barely known the old man. Yet she still felt the sting of his loss. What little time she had spent with him since escaping the barn and joining the group had made her realize what an integral part of it he was. There was wisdom and kindness unmeasurable tucked away beneath that silly hat he always wore. Dale was a friend, a father figure, and a mentor.

It sickened Kaesta to no end to think that she should have done more. Those Walkers she'd encountered out in the bush had seemed out of place to her. Warning bells had gone off. She had tried, she reassured herself. Shane and Rick had blown her off. Their focus had been solely on the impending execution of their prisoner Randall. She should have gone to someone else. She should have gone to Daryl. He would have listened to her.

Unable to bear her thoughts or the guilt they brought Kaesta stood. She needed to move, not just sit here and stew over things that were already done and she could do nothing to change. Knowing full well she'd be getting a lecture from Hershel later she hobbled down the stairs from the front porch. All she needed was to clear her mind. It's not like she was planning on going far. Then she could get back to resting and nursing her injury.

As she passed the tower where Shane had been building a lookout platform she glanced up. The man was no longer there. Chills ran down her spine. It made her uncomfortable when she didn't know his whereabouts. That man gave her the creeps. He was dangerous, and it was perfectly clear that he was not happy about Kaesta's induction into the group.

It was too dangerous to wander into the woods in her condition. Although that was the one place she was always sure her stress would melt away. However, If she were to run into a Walker it was unlikely she'd be able to fight it off or escape, so it was off the table.

Kaesta would have to settle for the next best thing. Slowly, and painfully she made her way over to the site where Daryl's tent had been. The night she had spent there after escaping from the barn had been the safest she'd felt in a long, long time. As the two of them had bonded, mostly in silent company, it had also become her only safe haven outside of the forest.

Since Dale's death they were moved inside the farmhouse with the Greene family. Daryl's tent no longer graced the open patch of ground near the edge of the woods. It didn't matter. Kaesta placed her butt down on the log where she had sat skinning squirrels with Daryl, each of them stealing glances at the other when they thought they weren't looking. Peace swept over her as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the scent of the forest carried out to her on the breeze.

"What are you doing out here?" A harsh voice broke the illusion of serenity. Peaking out one eye Kaesta saw the looming, dark figure of Shane standing over her. It occurred to her that she may have been sitting there longer than she realized lost in her own world.

"Sitting," she retorted. "What's it look like?"

Shane scoffed. "You really think it's such a good idea to be sitting out here, so far from the house, all on your own?" he asked her, choosing his words slowly.

"I'm not afraid of Walkers," Kaesta replied. "If that's what you mean." It occurred to her that the man in front of her was so close she could smell him. It also occurred to her that that wasn't what he meant. He knew just which buttons of hers to push. As uncomfortable as she was with his proximity Kaesta was determined not to let on that he bothered her. He wanted to make her uncomfortable, and she'd be damned if she'd let him win.

"You said you're not afraid of Walkers," Shane pointed out as he leant over. "Just what are you afraid of Kaesta?" She could feel his breath on her neck. Every hair stood on end. Instinctively she moved her hand closer to her hunting knife. Him. He was the one and only thing she was truly afraid of in this place. Everything she'd heard from Randall, from Daryl and Dale's conversation, from her own experience suggested that she ought to stay as far away from him as she could.

Shane lapped up every ounce of discomfort he was causing the young woman. She shouldn't be here, but Rick was such a softie. He didn't have what it took to protect these people. Shane could protect them. Shane could protect Lori and Carl. He could take care of this potential spy right now. He was planning on taking care of Randall anyways, what was one more person's blood on his hands. It's not like she was innocent.

"Don't you have better things to be doing than checking up on me?" Kaesta growled making sure to catch and hold his gaze.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Shane lied, with no expectation that she would believe him. He was practically laughing at her with every word. "To protect and serve, you know."

"Well thank you for taking the time to make sure I was okay," Kaesta said, every word dripping with sarcasm. Under her breathe she added, "Maybe if you'd taken the time to listen to me last night Dale would still be alive."

Game over. "What did you just say to me?" Shane yelled at her as he slammed his fist down onto the log next to where she was sitting. Kaesta jumped. Swallowing hard, she decided not to repeat herself. "I asked you something," Shane said, his voice low and menacing.

Taking a deep breathe Kaesta said very slowly and very deliberately, "You heard what I said."

The girl couldn't have weighed a hundred pounds. Shane lifted her with one hand and slammed her into the tree next to them. Kaesta felt the air expel from her lungs with the force. When he let go she slid down the tree to the ground. As she sat crumpled there, helpless, gasping for air Shane bent down, reaching for the hunting knife sheathed at her side. Her eyes widened in horror.

"The hell's going on here?" Daryl's voice barely seemed real. It was the voice of an angel she thought, as he came into view wearing his leather jacket with the wings on the back.

Shane quickly withdrew his hand from her knife. "Kaesta here just collapsed," he lied with the ease of a master. "She shouldn't be walking on that ankle of hers. I saw her on my way to check on Randall and came by to give her a hand back to the house."

"Uhuh." Daryl eyed Shane suspiciously. "Why dun ya go check on Randall then," he suggested. "I can make sure she gits back t' the house."

"It's no trouble," Shane insisted. "Really, I don't mind."

Daryl ignored him and pushed passed to where Kaesta was just starting to regain her breath on the ground. "C'mon," he said, reaching down and pulling her to her feet.

"Thanks," she said, eyeing Shane one last time and taking a step closer to Daryl. They walked silently most of the way.

"So, ya gonna tell me wha' really happened?" Daryl asked, stopping and turning towards the young woman.

"Nothing happened," Kaesta insisted. Whatever was going to happen didn't. Shane and Rick were like the leaders of this group. She had only just joined them and there was doubt and tension enough without her throwing accusations around.

Daryl mulled it over. He knew something had happened. "Did he hurt you?" he asked changing tactics.

"No." Not really. Mostly she'd just been scared, and for all she knew that was all he was going for. Pushing her, making sure she knew she didn't belong here and that she wasn't welcome.

"Ya sure?" Daryl pushed.

"I'm sure," Kaesta said, offering him a weak smile. Daryl nodded and turned, continuing their way to the house. There was nothing he could do for her if she wouldn't tell him the truth, because he didn't know what happened. Not really. All he knew was what kind of man Shane was.


	12. Waiting

**Notes: Thank you all for your continued interest! This one's a bit of a short one, but, that said, we do got a whole lotta action coming up pretty quick and it felt like a good place to leave off.**

**Chapter 12: Waiting**

After returning Kaesta to Hershel's farmhouse, Daryl went to discuss with Rick the plans to take Randall away from the farm. It was one of the ways they'd decided to honor Dale's death. They were going to do what was right. It seemed all for nothing, Kaesta thought. The old man had tried so hard to convince them to spare the boy, to no avail. That's why he'd stormed out. That's why he was out in that field the night before. That was one of the many reasons why he was dead.

"Daryl?" Kaesta called out softly before him and Rick left to pack up the prisoner. He stopped what he was doing and turned to the young woman was sitting resting her ankle. "I meant to thank you, for earlier," she said, smiling weakly. Daryl merely grunted and walked away without a word.

Carol came out of the house and sat down next to Kaesta. "Thought you might like something to drink," she said, offering her a cup of steaming tea.

"Thanks Carol," Kaesta said as she accepted the offer. "That was very nice of you."

"It was no problem," Carol said meekly.

Kaesta stared after Daryl as he walked across the yard and sighed. "Is he always like that?" She asked the older woman sitting next to her.

"Like what?" Carol asked.

"I don't know. So distant. So difficult," Kaesta laughed. "So like Daryl."

Carol smiled at the new member of their group. "I'm sorry to say, hon, but yes. That's Daryl Dixon for you." The two of them laughed together. "He does have his moments though," Carol added thoughtfully as she recalled how Daryl had helped her search for Sophia and the story he'd shared about the Cherokee Rose.

"He does," Kaesta agreed. She just wished he was easier to talk to sometimes. "It's just so difficult to read him, you know?" she mused.

"Look at you two," Maggie commented, standing in the doorway. "It's the end of the world and there you are talking about men."

"Why don't you join us?" Kaesta said patting a spot on the porch next to her. "We'll have us some girl talk. You can give us the dish on you and Glenn."

"No thanks," Maggie said. "I think I'll pass."

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I have to go feed the chickens," Maggie insisted as she turned to walk away. There was a hint of red creeping up into the farm-girl's cheeks as she hurried away.

Once she was out of earshot Kaesta turned back to Carol. "They are a cute couple, those two. Glenn is a lucky man."

"Maggie is a lucky girl," Carol added with the understanding of how much Glenn had done for the group and what a good man he was.

Out of the blue someone started shouting and yelling. Everything was a blur. People were all running towards the barn where they kept Randall as a prisoner. Kaesta's first thought was that Shane had snuck in and killed him before Rick and Daryl could transport him away from the farm. It's what he'd wanted to do since the very start and she wouldn't have put it past him.

"You shouldn't be walking on that!" Carol chastised the young woman as she leapt up and hobbled towards the center of the action.

"Just don't rat me out to Hershel, okay?" Kaesta called back over her shoulder. "Please."

"The hell you doing 'ere?" Daryl asked when he saw Kaesta struggling along on her injured ankle.

"I heard all the..."

Daryl didn't let her finish. "You ain't supposed t' be here. Yer supposed t' be restin'," he lectured her.

"You sound just like Hershel," Kaesta groaned. "What's going on?"

Randall had escaped from the locked barn, somehow miraculously with the padlock still in place. The boy had just up and vanished. It was a mystery. However, people did desperate and amazing things when it came down to their lives. After the previous night's botched execution, Randall was likely feeling more than a little desperate.

Their escapee had then proceeded to get the jump on Shane, breaking his nose and stealing his pistol. At which point he took off into the woods. Or so the story went, according to Shane.

"Don't trust him," Kaesta blurted out barely loud enough for Daryl to hear.

"Huh?"

Kaesta closed her eyes, willing to herself to speak against the man who had been Rick's right hand all along. "Don't trust Shane," she said. Shane may have been bleeding, but something didn't feel right. She wanted to say more. She wanted to tell Daryl the truth about what had happened earlier in the morning but there wasn't time. "Just don't trust him," she repeated hoping the message would get through.

"Don' worry, I don't," Daryl assured her. "Now git her ass back t' the house an' stay put." It was Daryl's way of saying he cared.

Kaesta nodded. "Please be careful, Daryl."

"Don' worry 'bout me. Jus' go."

It didn't matter what he said, Kaesta would worry about him anyways. Not so much with regards to Walkers and the wilderness. Daryl was a man who knew how to take care of himself. His background, his years of hunting and surviving in the Dixon household had given him a clear advantage in this sort of end-of-the-world scenario. He'd proven it time and again.

Rather, it was Shane who made her worry about the man she'd grown closest to at the farm. Daryl's distrust of people was proving useful too, and it helped to ease her mind a little. However Shane was dangerous. There was no doubt about that. She just hoped Daryl wouldn't let his guard down, not for a second.

"God damnit," Kaesta yelped in pain as she neared the front porch of the farmhouse.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain." Hershel stood at the edge of the stairs, wearing a look of disappointment on his face. "I warned you to stay off of that ankle," he scolded.

"I know," Kaeata groaned in pain. "Could you give me a hand up the stairs?"

"Are you going to rest now?"

"Yes," Kaesta grumbled.

"Alright then," Hershel agreed, allowing Kaesta to drape her arm around his neck and use him for support up the stairs. "You're just making it worse you know."

Kaesta sighed. "I know. I'm just not used to sitting around. It's hard to do nothing."

Hershel smiled sympathetically as he helped Kaesta inside. "There you go," he said, easing the young woman down onto a sofa in the living room.

"Thanks Hershel," Kaesta said. It was a relief to have the weight off of her feet. Already she could feel the burning inflammation in her ankle and knew she'd set her recovery back.

"Now if you need anything you just ask," Hershel instructed her. "If I'm not around I'm sure one of the women can get you whatever you need."

"Absolutely," Lori confirmed from the kitchen where she was busy preparing food with Patricia.

The air in the house was oppressive. Within those walls Kaesta felt like an animal trapped. It was a strange role reversal for her. It didn't help that everyone was practically suffocating her. Without a doubt they all meant well. However, it seemed every time she turned around someone was telling her what to do, what not to do, asking if she needed anything, or offering her things she'd never asked for. For Kaesta, who was so used to doing for and taking care of herself, it was all a little overbearing.

It was going to be a very long day sitting there with nothing to do. The girl was a workhorse. Idle hands had never been a problem for Kaesta who liked to keep busy and productive. It's one of the reason's she'd taken up trapping. It kept her busy at the times when the real estate market was slowest. Unable to do much else Kaesta chose to pass the time in the only way she had available to her. She stretched out and she tried to sleep.

Sleep didn't come easy for the young woman. Like an animal caged in that house she felt the pull to pace restlessly. Instead she tossed and turned on the sofa, constantly readjusting herself. When sleep finally did come, it was in fitful bursts. Nightmares haunted her as her tortured mind tried to work through what had happened to her and Jake.

When finally she woke for good, the house was quiet and still. At first it gave the illusion that she was there alone. However, when she lifted her head she saw Lori and Carol both sitting staring out the window in their own private, silent vigils.

"The guys not back yet?" Kaesta asked breaking the eerie silence.

"Not yet," Carol confirmed. She was trying to act tough, to be stoic, but her wavering voice gave her away.

Kaesta felt the same nagging sense of foreboding. It was already dark. They should have been back hours ago. Something was wrong.


	13. Surrounded

**Notes: Thank you for reading and adding this to your alerts/favorites and especially for the reviews. I'll be taking a break from this story now until season 3 starts up.**

**Chapter 13: Surrounded**

It was well after dark and everyone inside the farmhouse was beginning to get antsy for the return of the men. Many hours had passed since they left to search for Randall. Having woken from her nap Kaesta stretched and sat up on the sofa. Carol and Lori were sitting watch at the window. There was no way to know how long they'd been there staring out through the panes of glass.

Kaesta tentatively placed her feet on the ground. She wanted to test her ankle and see if it was up for a walk across the room to join the two other women. As soon as she went to put weight on it a shooting pain radiated out. The sprain was still angry and inflamed. She'd done a number on it fighting off the three Walkers out in the woods.

"Hey, what'd I tell you?" Hershel scolded, having caught her red handed. "You need to stay off of that ankle. Or else it's not going to heal," he warned her yet again. He hoped this time it might actually sink in.

Kaesta sighed and flopped back into the sofa. "I wasn't going to go far," she explained innocently.

Disappointedly Hershel shook his head at the young woman's disobedience. "You need to learn to ask for help, Kaesta."

"I know," she admitted in defeat. He was right. It was just hard for her when she was so used to doing things for herself.

The front door opened interrupting Hershel's lecture, much to Kaesta's relief. Daryl and Glenn burst inside. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Lori immediately pounced on them with questions once she'd noticed that they had returned without the others. Namely, "Where's Rick and Shane?"

Daryl squinted and looked at the stressed-out woman. "You mean they ain't back yet?" he asked surprised himself by the news.

"Did you find Randall?" Hershel asked. He didn't like the idea of a potential threat wandering around his farm. Especially not with his daughters there.

"Yeah, we found 'im alright," Daryl drawled. "He was turned, but he wasn't bit."

"He must have been scratched then," Carol reasoned. It was the only thing that made sense. A bite or a scratch, that's what turned people into those hideous creatures.

Glenn shook his head, "We searched him. No bites. No scratches."

"Died of a broken neck," Daryl added.

Kaesta listened intently from the sofa. It didn't make any sense. "If he wasn't bit and he wasn't scratched, then why did he turn?" she voiced the question that was on everyone's mind. No one had an answer.

Lori approached Daryl cautiously. Last time she'd asked him to go look for someone he'd reacted less than positively. "Daryl, my husband is still out there. Please, I need you to go find him for me."

Daryl did not put up a fuss this time. He was maturing within the group and finding his place. He nodded in agreement and headed to the door. However, when he opened it it was not out into the empty night that he stared, searching in some direction for Rick. Instead he looked out to a herd of Walkers coming up over the hill. They were headed straight for the house. Wherever Rick was, he was on his own. They had their own problem to deal with.

"Carl! Carl!" Lori screamed, panic-stricken. Her boy was, as usual, not where she'd told him to be. Carol and Patricia helped her search the house, but they came up empty handed. Not only was her husband somewhere out there in the darkness with those monsters. Now it appeared so was her only son.

"Can we fight them off?" Glenn asked. He had Maggie to think about now. It was his duty to protect her. They had few guns and not enough ammo. There were too many of those things outside. There had to be hundreds of them, all headed to the same place. Straight for the farmhouse.

"What if we hide, and wait them out like we did when that herd ran across us on the highway?" Andrea suggested. Kaesta hadn't been with them then and felt anxious at the thought of just laying low and hoping they'd pass by. Thankfully the group agreed that there were too many Walkers. If they got scent that there was living flesh inside that house they'd tear the walls down.

"The only choice that leaves is to run," Kaesta said. There may be hundreds of them, but Walkers were slow. If they got far enough ahead of them they would lose them. Of course, she was painfully aware of her sprained ankle. She was quickly trying to work out just how she was going to run when she could barely walk.

Daryl and Hershel handed out what guns and ammo they had. They would take as many Walkers as they could out as they made their way to the cars. Hershel had no intentions of leaving his farm, but he'd help them escape.

"You know how to use one of these?" Daryl asked, handing Kaesta the pistol that had belonged to Otis. He still hadn't found his own gun.

"I usually use a .22 calibre, but I think I can manage it," she reassured him.

Daryl nodded, looking her up and down. "That thing's gonna have a lil' more kick than yer used to," he warned.

Kaesta smiled at him. "Thanks for the heads up."

Carol helped Kaesta out onto the front porch. In the distance the barn went up in flames. "Someone's out there," Carol whispered in Kaesta's ear.

Kaesta nodded. "Maybe it's Rick and Shane, or Carl...," she trailed off seeing the look on Lori's face. There were Walkers surrounding the barn, if it was any of them there was no way for them to escape. Not without some help.

"I'll take the RV," Jimmy offered to Lori, "You just make sure you get out of here. You're no good to your son if you're dead."

"C'mon," T-Dog grabbed Lori by the wrist and dragged her off towards the truck.

Carol brought Kaesta to the railing where she could hold on for support. "Wait here," she instructed. "I'll be right back." The woman bravely worked her way towards the vehicles, but was cut off by a group of Walkers.

Kaesta took aim. Carol was a good fifty yards away. Shooting with a pistol wasn't like shooting with a rifle. She couldn't guarantee her aim on anything over twenty five yards and she didn't want to risk subjecting the older woman to friendly fire.

"Damnit," Kaesta muttered as she hopped down the stairs. Landing on her ankle it gave out and she fell to the ground. She was quick to right herself and painfully rushed towards Carol. "Get down," she hollered to the woman once she'd closed as much distance as she could. The Walkers had Carol trapped, if Kaesta didn't take the shots now, she might as well not bother.

Carol obeyed and dropped to the ground. Kaesta raised the pistol. Her first shot hit one of the Walkers in the chest. The shot didn't even phase the creature. However, it did give her the information she needed to adjust where she was aiming. Her next shot struck it in the head, killing it. She took four more shots, downing four more Walkers and giving Carol an escape route.

In helping Carol, Kaesta had trapped herself. The sound of the shots she fired redirected the remaining Walkers towards her. Six rounds was all she'd had and she'd used them all up. Carol looked helplessly back at the woman who'd enabled her escape.

"Just go," Kaesta pleaded with her. Somehow, she'd fine a way. Or she wouldn't, but there was no use in both of them dying. With tears in her eyes Carol turned and ran. There was nothing she could do.

Kaesta shoved the pistol that Daryl had given her into the back of her jeans. The Walkers were closing in on her and pushing her further and further from the farmhouse and the cars. Further from her new found friends and any hope she had of surviving.

"What's takin' ya so long?" A gruff voice called from behind her. "I ain't got all day."

It was Daryl. He'd parked his motorcycle as close as he could safely bring it and then worked his way in the rest of the way on foot.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you," Kaesta said, turning and stumbling towards him.

"How 'n th' hell did ya plan on gettin' anywhere on that ankle?" Daryl asked, scooping the injured girl up in his arms. "C'mon. We're gonna be a Walker buffet if I'm waitin' for ya t' do this on yer own."

"Thanks," Kaesta muttered, burying her face in his neck. She felt so helpless, so ashamed at her inability to take care of herself, all over a stupid sprained ankle no less.

"It's nothin'," Daryl said dismissively placing her on the back of his bike. "Yer gonna wanna hold on tight," he warned.

Kaesta wrapped her arms around him and clutched tightly to his chest. Pressed up against his back she felt safe. Around her the barn burned, there were hundreds of Walkers, people had died and the world was falling apart, but she felt safe.

"Did you see if Carol made it out?" Kaesta asked. Of all the people in the camp, Carol was one she had quickly become close with.

"T-Dog an' Lori picked her up 'fore they took off," Daryl assured her.

A weight lifted itself off of Kaesta's shoulders. At least Carol had made it. "Now what?" she asked, realizing she had no idea where to go next. Away from the farm was obvious, but where? No one had ever told her if the was a plan for a situation like this in place.

Daryl shrugged. "Dunno, go see if we can fin' the others I guess."

With that they took off away from the Greene's family farm and into the unknown. It wasn't the first time Kaesta had been on the run. But at least this time she wasn't alone.


	14. More than Surviving

**Notes: I just wanted to thank everyone who read, favorited, followed and reviewed this. Being my first fanfic it was really fun and exciting and I appreciated every single one. However, I have other ideas I want to work on so I've decided to wrap this one up. This will be the last update.**

**Chapter 14: More than Surviving**

Kaesta clung tightly to Daryl. The wind whipped around him, tattering at her face. Behind them, the farm burned and the dead walked in droves. Ahead of them the road was uncertain.

"Look, there!" Kaesta shouted to be heard. The young woman pointed excitedly at the car in front of them.

The engine of Merle's motorcycle roared as Daryl pushed it forward, catching up to the other vehicle.

"Looks like Glenn and Maggie," he snorted as they got closer.

"Thank God they're alive," Kaesta exclaimed.

"Though'cha didn' believe in God," Daryl sneered.

Behind him Kaesta rolled her eyes. "It's a figure of speech."

As they pulled up next to the car they were met by Glenn's smiling face through the window. The grin he wore spread from ear to ear. Next to him, Maggie too was happy to see them, but her eyes were puffy and red from tears.

Daryl motioned for them to pull over. The bike was too loud to hear them over the engine as they drove side by side.

"Everybody else?" Glenn asked. Daryl winced at the words. His new found family and he didn't know who was alive nor where they were at.

Maggie came around and stood next to Glenn. "My dad? Beth?" She asked after her family with an unsurprising urgency.

"Dunno," Daryl told her in his gruff and calloused voice.

A hand came up to Maggie's mouth as she choked back a sob.

"C'mon now," Kaesta spoke quietly, her voice soft and soothing as she hobbled over and placed a warm hand on Maggie's shoulder. "That doesn't mean nothing. They could be safe, we just got to try and find them."

Tears were still streaming down Maggie's reddened, puffy face.

"It's going to be alright. C'mon, we're going to need your help. Can you manage that?"

Wiping her eyes with the back of her head Maggie nodded a silent affirmative.

Daryl watched as Glenn let out a little sigh of relief. Snorting to himself, he glanced sideways at Kaesta and gave her a little half-smirk. She was good with people in all the ways he wasn't. She was tender and kind. She was friendly and easy-going. Yet even though they were worlds apart, they weren't so different. It's why he liked her.

As the two vehicles threaded their way down the roads, they came across others from their group. With each person their hearts were torn. There was happiness and relief that yet another person had survived the assault, but there was also fear and sadness for those still unaccounted for.

Daryl led the way. Up ahead on the highway was Rick, Hershel and Carl. The reunion was bitter sweet as everyone exchanged tales with regards to who they saw escape and who they saw go down. Among the fallen were Jimmy and Patricia. Everyone was accounted for, either living or dead, except for Andrea. There was little doubt that she had not survived, but no one had actually seen it with their own two eyes. If by some miracle, she could still be out there.

"We need to keep moving," Rick told the weary and forlorn group standing before him. "We need to find somewhere safe."

"We thought the farm was safe," came the protests. "What makes you think anywhere is?"

"We'll find somewhere we can fortify and defend."

There was little enthusiasm but the band of survivors followed. They were on the road again in search of a place to stay and in search of some hope to keep them going. However, it was not long before they ran out of fuel and found themselves stranded. Kaesta found herself silently cursing the universe and desperately waiting for something good to balance the bad.

Where they set up camp for the night they were exposed. Terribly exposed, but it was the best they could do with the hand they had been dealt.

As the last strands of light faded from the night sky they huddled around a fire and listened to Rick speak. So many secrets came out. They were all infected. Rick had known since the CDC, a time before Kaesta had met them, she gathered. Some doctor named Edwin Jenner had whispered it to him as they fled and he hadn't felt it imperitive to share with the rest of them. Rick had killed Shane, his own partner. For them. For the good of the group. That was how he justified his actions.

"This is no longer a democracy," Rick told them. He was taking charge. It was his way or the highway.

Kaesta felt her chest tighten. She glanced nervously toward Daryl, the one man she trusted more than any of them. He gave her a reassuring nod.

When they had first found her every fibre in her being would have been screaming at her to run. Without a doubt she would have picked the highway and taken her chances on her own. Kaesta had what it took to survive out there.

But as her eyes scanned the group around her Kaesta realized that she didn't just want to survive. She wanted more than that. Her eyes finally settled again on Daryl. A life, albeit as fucked up as that life may be, that is what she wanted. As much as it terrified her to stay, she couldn't leave. These were her friends and her only family now. Wherever they went, whatever happened next, she would follow. There was more to life than just surviving, after all.


End file.
